Through The Fire and Flames
by MarchingPatriot93
Summary: Tommy is a 16 year old and his favorite band is DragonForce. Will a song prove to him that dreams can become a reality? And will Kimi ever find out his true feelings for her? Will it be more than a crush, or will it end tragiclly? Find out later.
1. Was it just a vision?

Tommy sat silently in his bedroom as his parents argued in the living room. He sighed as he pulled his iPod off of his nightstand and placed the ear duds in his ears. Searching through the songs, he found his favorite: _Through the Fire and Flames_, a song preformed by DragonForce. He pressed lightly on the play button, and found himself lost within his own world, away from the prison that he called home.

"Could this world just be a figment of my imagination? Or could all of this be real?" Tommy asked himself as a new vision appeared before him.

He stared blankly at the surrounding flames that seemed to engulf everything around him. He heard the screams of the dying people that could make your blood run cold and send shivers down your spine. In this alternate universe is where he felt at peace with himself, drowning out the real world and replacing it with this. A sudden knock on the door brought his mind back to the real world.

"Come in." He heard himself say before he could stop. He watched the door as his grandfather stepped inside.

"How are ya sprout?" He asked in his soothing voice that could make most people happy.

"Grandpa, could you stop calling me by my baby nickname for a little while?" He asked as Lou sat on the corner of the bed. "Just for a little while." Tommy repeated. Lou looked up at him and nodded his head. "Thanks grandpa." Tommy said as he placed his iPod back on his nightstand. "I've got something for you." Lou said as he reached into his pocket, pulling out six concert tickets.

"Wow grandpa, you really outdid yourself." Tommy said as he grabbed the tickets out of Lou's hands. "But why do I need six?"

"I thought that you could bring your friends and Dil along with you, and so did Lulu." Tommy looked at the group of tickets in his hands and sighed. He fumbled in the pocket of his red and black tripp jeans and pulled out his cell phone.

"Grandpa, could I have a few minutes?" Tommy asked as he looked to his grandfather's old, tired expression.

Lou stood and walked out of Tommy's room. As his grandfathers footsteps grew quiet and dispersing, Tommy stood from his bead and walked to the window, opened it, and jumped out and onto the roof and continuing to make his way down to the ground below his window. 'I'll ask Kimi first; after all we are high school sweethearts.' Tommy thought as he walked down the street. Chas and Kira had filed for divorce when they all started their freshman year at Freedom High, now all of them were juniors. The only thing in the world that kept them partially together was Chuckie and Kimi. Kimi's house appeared off in the distance, about 40 more feet. Tommy was surprised to see that Kimi was outside crying, but it probably had something to do with the fact that she didn't get to see Chuckie as much as she liked to. He slowed his pace down to a walk as he approached Kimi, who saw him and ran into his arms. Tommy wrapped his arms around her and placed his left hand on the back of her head. It was something that happened a lot over the years after the divorce finalized, so he wasn't too shocked by it.

"Tommy, have you heard from Chuckie at all?" Kimi asked as she slowly stopped crying.

"Yea, he said that he really misses you, and that he can't wait to see you at school after break." He replied, looking into the eyes of his beloved.

Kimi smiled and kissed him on the lips. He kissed her back gently and nibbled on her bottom lip, making her laugh with surprise. Tommy slipped her one of the tickets and smiled at her expression.

"Is this a Dragon Force concert ticket?" She asked as her wrapped an arm over her shoulder.

"Why, yes it is. And I would love for you to accompany me to the concert." He said as though he was a real gentleman.

"Why yes I will accompany you to the concert." Kimi replied as a lady.

Tommy kissed her and said that he would pick her up for the concert. He walked away and handed three of the remaining tickets to Phil, Lil, and Chuckie. He walked back to his house and through the front door. He knew that his mom was probably wondering where he was, which made him smirk evilly to himself. Tommy closed the door silently as he walked into the house, smirking as he walked up the stairs and to Dil's room. He listened silently as he heard his mom, Didi, talking with his younger brother about God only knows what. Tommy opened the door and saw his mom sitting on the corner of Dil's bed. Dil was sitting up near his pillows as he looked at Tommy. His mom turned her head and looked at him, sighing in relief as Tommy walked towards the bed. Tommy looked down at Dil and handed him the ticket for the concert, leaving the last of the six in his own room. Dil smiled as he grabbed the ticket; this was the second concert that he was going to in his entire life (The first being an Emica concert). Tommy then left the room and went back into his, closing and locking the door behind him. He grabbed his iPod again and continued to listen to _Through the Fire and Flames. _He had just begun the first half of the song before his grandfather walked into his room.

The bedroom turned black again, this time the fire was greater and continued to grow faster than the last fire. More people were screaming and dying, while others were already dead.

_On a cold winter morning, in the time before the light_

_In flames of death's eternal reign we ride towards the fight._

_And the darkness is falling down and the times are tough all right,_

_The sound of evil laughter falls around the world tonight._

_Fighting high, fighting on for the steel through the wastelands evermore_

_The scattered souls will feel the hell that is wasted on the shores._

Tommy listened to the lyrics and looked at the scene before him; it was exactly as the song explained it. He continued to listen, waiting for the next scene to reveal it's self.

_On the blackest waves in history, we watch them as they go_

_Through fire, pain and once again we know_

_So now we fly ever free, we're free before the thunderstorm_

_On towards the wilderness our quest carries on_

_Far beyond the sundown, far beyond the moonlight_

_Deep inside our thoughts and all our souls_

Tommy saw it; he saw the waves of the blackest sea and the flames of hell. He watched as countless spirits flew past him towards a mighty thunderstorm, swirling around massive bolts of lightning and flying towards the moon's favorable glow. He just stared at the scene before him, awestruck. He had only dreamed of seeing something like this, but it would never come true.

_So far away we wait for the day, for the lights are so wasted and gone_

_We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days_

_Through the fire and the flames we carry on!_

Now he truly believed it. That all of this was real, not just his imagination. The scenes that lay before him were incredibly real; he could feel the intense heat of the fire, and the bitter coldness of the ocean. He could hear the deafening sounds of the thunder that cracked in the background, and see the magnificent glow of the lighting that flashed before him.

_As the red day is dawning and the lightning cracks the sky_

_They'll raise their hands to the heavens above once we send them to their lies_

_Running back through the mid-morning light, there's a burning in my heart_

_We're banished from the time in the fallen land to a light beyond the stars_

_In the blackest dream we do believe our destiny this time, and endlessly we'll all be free tonight_

_And on the wings of a dream so far beyond reality all alone in desperation now the time is gone_

_Lost inside you'll never find lost within my own mind day after day this misery must go on_

Tommy now saw a gleaming red sky, which looked exactly like blood was spilled over it, with lightning flashing across it all over the place. He could see people running across a vast field, and he could feel the vast beating of their hearts as they all raced across this field. Then everything became black, and he found himself lost in space. But he soon found himself flying through the sky, as free as a bird.

_So far away we wait for the day, for the lights are so wasted and gone_

_We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days_

_Through the fire and the flames we carry on!_

Then almost as instantly as they had left the previous time, the white-hot flames of hell had come back a second time.

_Now here we stand with their blood on our hands_

_We've fought so hard now can we understand_

_I'll break this seal off this curse if I possibly can_

_For freedom of every man_

Tommy felt something warm and wet on his hands, but it wasn't warm water; it was freshly spilled blood. He looked down at all of the people that were holding weapons, looking towards a vast light, and saw that they were standing on a cursed seal that was implemented into the ground and on their foreheads. Then every one of those brave warriors let out a fearsome war cry and charged towards the mysterious light.

_So far away we wait for the day, for the lights are so wasted and gone_

_We feel the pain of a lifetime lost in a thousand days_

_Through the fire and the flames we carry on!_


	2. Kimi's birthday

Tommy came back to his senses and to his bedroom when the song finished. He just sat on his bed and stared at the wall across from him, adorned with various posters of DragonForce and Arch Enemy. He slowly turned his head to his nightstand and opened the drawer. Inside was a long velvet box from Tiffany's Jewelers, and inside was a beautiful diamond necklace that he had bought for Kimi as a birthday present. He played with the strand of diamonds that hung from the gold clip, and smiled to himself, knowing that Kimi would love it.

He closed the lid and placed the box back inside the drawer of the nightstand, along with his iPod, and then fell asleep to brace himself for the next day; Kimi's birthday.

* * *

Tommy awoke at the crack of dawn, but who could really tell since his room was always dark. Standing from his bed and walking to the bathroom, he splashed his face with cold water, since he took a shower the day before. He trudged back out of the bathroom and grabbed his clothes for the day: a 'Bad Religion' t-shirt, a pair of Tripp jeans, a pair of socks, his black 'Converse All Stars', and his jean chains and spiked bracelets.

"Nothing feels better than a pair of Tripps anymore, huh?" Dil said as he stood in the doorway of Tommy's bedroom.

"Got that right little bro." Tommy replied as he slipped his last bracelet on.

He knew that his younger brother always looked up to him, so when he noticed the change in Tommy's wardrobe, Dil started to copy him little by little, but only enough to get to vintage t-shirts.

Tommy walked over to the nightstand and grabbed the necklace box out of the drawer, and then he slipped it into his pocket, knowing full well that Dil was watching him.

"What was that Tommy?" Dil quizzically asked as he looked towards his older brother.

"That was Kimi's birthday gift lil' bro." Tommy replied as he looked down at his younger sibling.

Tommy walked out of his room and shut the door behind him before he walked down the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast. He sat at the table as the rest of the family started waking up. He could hear the commotion upstairs as his mom and dad woke from yet another night of arguing; typical Stu and Didi. Lou walked into the kitchen and noticed Tommy sitting there with his back to the doorway. Lou walked curiously around Tommy, and looked at his expression: blank, there was nothing to determine Tommy's feelings at that point in time. His eyes were cloudy and there looked to be no form of life on the young teenagers face. But on the inside, that young teenager was bleeding and crying, feeling alone in the world with pain in his heart and soul. The only light that shone on his heart was his love for Kimi, but only she knew that; nobody else took the time to care how the two love-struck teens felt. Tommy suddenly felt his grandfather's eyes on him and quickly jumped back to reality.

"What's wrong Tommy? Did something happen to ya?" Lou asked as he stared at the teen.

"No grandpa, I was just thinking." Tommy lied, but luckily for him Lou bought it.

"Don't you have to get to Kimi's house for her birthday? And don't forget that the concert is tonight." Lou said as Tommy looked shocked.

Tommy glanced down at his watch that Lou had given him for his 14th birthday, and nearly fell out of the chair. He grabbed his concert ticket, cell phone, and iPod before leaving the house. Dil followed his brother out to his black 2008 Dodge Avenger. Dil situated himself in the passenger seat of the car and buckled his seatbelt. Tommy grabbed his car keys and placed them in the ignition. He revved up the engine and pulled out of the driveway, making two stops along the way to pick up Phil, Lil, and Chuckie.

"Hey Tommy, how's your vacation been?" Lil asked from the backseat.

She liked making conversations with Tommy and Chuckie, but could never find a way to fully talk to Phil, even though he was her twin brother.

"It's been alright, but the concert tonight is going to be the highlight of my entire vacation." Tommy replied with a lot of enthusiasm.

Kimi's house soon came into full view as Tommy parked his car outside on the front lawn. Thank god that Kira allowed them to do that on special occasions. Everyone walked up to the door as Tommy walked in. Kira, who was in the kitchen finishing the cake, looked out the doorway and saw Tommy and the rest of the gang walking towards the living room. Kimi was sitting in her bedroom holding her concert ticket that Tommy had given her the day before. She smiled as she thought about Tommy, the way he laughs, the way he smiles, and the way he cries. All of his features to her were gorgeous in their own special way, and she was just as unique as he was.

"Kimi-Chan, your friends are here." She heard her mother yell from downstairs.

"I'll be right down mom." Kimi yelled back as she put the ticket in her pocket.

She stood up from her bed and walked downstairs to the living room where everyone else was. She looked around from face to face, seeing all of her old friends and even her step-brother. She continued to look around, seeing Angelica and Susie, sitting on the couch and arguing about something like they always do. She scanned the rest of the room and her eyes soon landed on Tommy, who was sitting on the window sill, just staring at the scenery in the front yard. Kimi walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck making him flinch, but only enough so that she could tell. Tommy turned around and embraced her in his arms, playfully kissing her forehead. Kira walked in with a large chocolate cake in her hands, and began singing happy birthday with everyone joining in at different intervals. Tommy joined in last, wrapping his arm around Kimi's waist and kissing her forehead again. Kira placed the cake on the table as the last note was sung, placing the cake knife next to it.

"Kimi-Chan, go ahead and cut the cake." Kira said, looking towards Kimi with a smile on her face.

* * *

Kimi was finishing opening the 'last' present that was sitting on the table. It was Guitar Hero III, nice (Inside joke).

"Kimi, close your eyes for a minute." Tommy said as he reached into his pocket.

Kimi closed her eyes and held out her hands, sort of like an impatient child waiting for ice cream. Tommy held the Tiffany's box over her hands, and then he placed it in her palms. Kimi slowly opened her eyes and looked down at her palms. What she saw made her squeal in delight. She slowly opened the box and gasped at the shiny new diamond necklace, grasping it and holding it in her hands. She looked at Tommy, who only smiled at her, and then she looked back to the necklace. Tommy grabbed the necklace and placed it around Kimi's neck, clipping it in the back.

* * *

The gang of friends jumped into the cars outside and started driving down the road towards the stadium. Everyone was ecstatic about the concert, everyone except for Tommy. Sure he liked going to a concert as much as the next guy, but after what he saw in his conscious vision, he didn't like the sound of actually being there. They pulled up to the stadium just as more people were showing up for the concert. Tommy looked at all of the cars around him and sighed, he just hoped that his vision was his mind playing tricks on him again. He watched Kimi and the rest of the gang stare at the stadium in front of them, admiring the glowing affects of some pyrotechnics. Angelica was standing in the back of the group, trying to grab something out of her backpack, and about 10 seconds later she was holding a camera.

"C'mon guys, it's time to take the group photo!" She said as the group was getting into position.

She steadied the camera in front of the gang and snapped three shots of all of them. After Angelica was done trying to get her camera back into her backpack, the gang of friends continued towards the stadium. They heard the sound of guitars tuning, vocals being warmed up, and microphones being tested. All of these sounds were different for the kids that were used to hearing Emica all the time, but they were still fascinated by the new sights and sounds. Then they could see them, DragonForce, in all of metal-rock history, DragonForce was a crowd favorite. The gang all stood up in front around the stage, because they were all eager to see the amazing band preform. Tonight seemed like it was going to be a long night to Tommy, as he watched his friends admire the band on stage.


	3. Why did this happen?

An hour had passed since the gang of friends had gotten to the stadium, and the place was already full. Tommy placed his hands nervously in his pockets and fumbled with his cell phone that was ringing, well vibrating, in his pocket. He didn't care who it was, all he cared about was Kimi, if she would be ok during the concert. Tommy stared at her dancing form with worry in his eyes, keeping close account on all of his friends.

And then the song that he didn't want was played to the audience of dancing bodies, and Tommy cringed as the notes were played on the guitar and the lyrics were sung into the microphone, leaving his ears ringing with pain and suffering. He watched all of the people around him, and then he felt the earth suddenly shift underneath his feet, leaving him stunned. Kimi was still dancing, as was everybody else, but Tommy knew that everyone was in danger but could do nothing to stop it.

Suddenly, the ground gave way underneath the people in the back of the stadium, swallowing them into a black crevice in the earth's crust, and burning them with white hot flames that suddenly erupted after those people fell into the hole. DragonForce had stopped playing at that moment and stared at the flames before running off of the stage in the opposite direction. Tommy looked around, but couldn't find Kimi anywhere. He suddenly panicked and ran around aimlessly in the crowd of running bodies.

People were dying left and right as Tommy continued to search for Kimi. He looked everywhere for her, he even looked out by the cars, but still found no trace of her. He suddenly heard a shrill cry, and ran towards the stadium, fearing the worst. He ran through all of the shouting people, most were stepping on cracks in the earth that swallowed them into a wall of fire. The thunder that cracked across the sky was a modest sound in Tommy's ear that was drowned out and oblivious to him and the rest of the world. He looked towards a bright light that had appeared shortly after a third thunderbolt hit the earth's crust. The clouds around this light seemed to swirl around it, as if it were the beginning stage of a twister.

His hunch was correct, the worst had happened. There were two separate bodies lying on the ground, almost mutilated, and bleeding profusely all over. Tommy knelt beside the girl closest to him, his angelic angel, Kimi. She smiled at him as best as she could through the pain, and he forced a sad smile back at her with tears cascading down his face. He bent down over the girl and kissed her forehead, as she struggled to keep her tired eyes open. Tommy looked at her and remembered her fun-loving nature that attracted him to her the day he laid eyes on her. She was so alive, so perfect, that he couldn't bare to lose her now, and during their junior year of high school. He cried freely as he hugged her dying form, and felt her blood seep into his clothing, staining his skin.

"Kimi, I love you so much. Please don't die; I'll help you get better. Just hold on a little longer. Please." He said through his constant sobbing and pain.

"Tommy…..Please remember me and all the good times that we shared together." Kimi said as she took her final breaths to kiss him on his soft, yet wet, lips.

He kissed her until the very end, hoping that his kiss would bring her back to him. But it didn't, she died in his arms regardless of their final kiss. Tommy laid her back down on the ground and looked at the girl next to her, his older cousin Angelica. Angelica was still alive, but just barely holding on. And then, without warning, Chuckie confessed his love for his childhood bully. Chuckie kissed her, just like Tommy had kissed Kimi, allowing Angelica to die in his arms. Chuckie cried into her chest as she laid limply in his arms, with a smile on her face. Chuckie laid her back down on the ground and kissed her forehead one last time, before they gathered their losses and walked out to the cars holding the bodies of their loved ones. Tommy and Lil carried Kimi's limp body to his car; Chuckie and Phil carried Angelica's limp body over to her car, placing her gently in the back seat, as though she was still alive. Tommy and Lil were already in the front seats, and were soon driving away down the road to Kimi's house.

Tommy sadly parked his car in the driveway of Kimi's house, waiting for Kira to come out and look for her daughter as the rest of his friends parked in the street. And sure enough, like Tommy predicted, Kira came out with a smile on her face.

"Kimi-chan, where are you?" She asked as she walked down towards Tommy's car.

She looked into the backseat window only to see Kimi's cold, limp, lifeless body lying on the seat. Kira looked at Kimi and then at Tommy, who only put his head down in shame because he let Kimi and Kira down. Kira screamed at the top of her lungs and collapsed onto her knees, leaving the gang to look at her with sadness and shame in their eyes. Tommy felt the worst about it, letting his tears fall silently, but freely, from his eyes.

Kira looked up for the slightest second just to see Tommy crying. He was crying for his love, his life, and his future. Kira wiped the tears from her eyes as she stood up from the ground, and walked over to Tommy, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Tommy embraced Kira into a friendly hug, and allowed her to cry on his shoulder. Tommy laid his head against Kira's shoulder, while continuing to cry silently through the next five minutes of the night.

Tommy opened the back door of his car and picked up Kimi's limp body, his small sobs continuing as tears fell from his eyes. Kimi laid there in his arms, the last smirk that she made that night still etched on her soft face. Tommy looked down at her soft features, beautiful curves, and silky smooth black hair. He walked into her house and laid her down gently on the living room couch, kissing her forehead one last time. He let the last of his tears fall from his eyes and onto her face as he closed her still open eyes. He gave her spirit one last true smile as he felt it leave her body and drift away. He left the house and drove with his friends towards Angelica's house, where they were met by a frantic Drew.

"Angelica. Where is Angelica Tommy?" He asked franticly, his eyes glued on Tommy's teary eyes.

"She's in the jeep." Was all Tommy could say before Drew ran over to the larger car.

Drew looked into the back window and fainted. Tommy walked over and sat his uncle up against the car door. Charlotte looked out the window to see Drew propped up against the door of the jeep. She sat up in her bed, careful enough not to disturb her unborn baby, and pulled her robe over her shoulders. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and slipped on her pair of slippers, and then continued her way downstairs. Tommy looked towards the front door, because he knew that his aunt would be there any minute. And sure enough, she was standing in the doorway with one hand placed over her large stomach, the other on her hip. She looked over at her husband and gasped, not sure if he was ok or not.

She stopped a few feet short of the jeep after she peered into the back seat window. She saw the mangled face of her eldest child, dead and limp, lying on the car seat. She would have collapsed onto the ground if it hadn't been for Tommy stopping her from hitting the ground. Tommy fell to the ground, which made Charlotte land into his chest, knocking the breath out of him. She was stunned at first, but she quickly burst into tears, trying to push away from Tommy's chest to go to her daughter's side. Tommy continued to hold firmly to his struggling aunt, preventing her from causing herself more stress then she had now.

"Tommy let me go! Let me go to my daughter, she needs me!" Charlotte yelled furiously at her nephew.

"You can't help her now, because she's gone!" Tommy yelled back at her, causing her to stop struggling in his grasp.

She looked up into his stone black eyes, with tears in her own sorrow filled eyes. She leaned against his chest, crying at least 1,000 years of pain on his shoulder. Tommy just held his aunt close to him, letting her cry on his shoulder, just as Kira had for Kimmi.


	4. The after funeral

Disclaimer (because I keep forgetting to add one): I do not own the rugrats of any one of their characters.

Claimer: I do own some OC's that will come into play in a little bit.

Michelle Pickles: 19 year old sister of Tommy and Dil, also the lead singer of her band Demons and Sins.

* * *

Tommy and the remainder of his friends had long since gone home to their families. Chuckie had called Tommy three times already to tell him about his dad's nervous breakdown, and Tommy had replied, saying that it was ok for Chuckie to spend the night over at his house. Chuckie was now sprawled out on Tommy's bedroom floor playing video games and eating popcorn. Tommy just sat on his bed, holding the necklace that he had given to Kimi just this morning. He suddenly felt the onset of hot tears trying to break free from behind his eye lids, but he managed to keep them in their place. 

All of his mementos that were either from Kimi, or that reminded him of Kimi, were placed in a special box that was hidden deep in Tommy's walk in closet. He just couldn't bear to have lost Kimi, so he mostly kept his feelings to himself, or shared them with Chuckie. Chuckie always had something to say that would cheer Tommy up after their conversations, usually a subtle gesture, a pat on the back, or just a kind word about Kimi. Kira had kept to herself for the past few days, and so had Drew and Charlotte. Chaz only came over to the Pickle's residence once since he had found out about Kimi and Angelica. Tommy's older sister (by three years), Michelle, had come for the two funerals, and to keep Tommy company. Although she had been gone and out of Tommy's life for eight years touring with her band, she still kept a strong relationship with her younger sibling.

* * *

Kimi looked down at Tommy, who was walking with his older sister in the backyard, and smiled knowing that he was thinking about her.

"Kimi, come along now." Came the sound of her father's voice from behind her.

"Coming father." She replied, taking one last look at Tommy and Michelle before following her father.

* * *

"Tommy, you haven't said one word to me since I got home." Michelle said looking towards her younger sibling.

"What do you want me to say Chelle? I'm glad your back, but I just lost my girlfriend and our cousin at a concert." Tommy replied, glaring at his older sister.

"I know Tom, but you can't change that and neither can I." Michelle said as she watched her younger sibling from the corner of her eye.

Tommy sat down under the oak tree in the yard and looked up into the clouds. Michelle sat down next to him, following his gaze up to the clouds. She looked back towards the house that was filled with family and friends, including her band. She saw Charlotte sitting at the table talking with her mom, holding what appeared to be a tissue in her hand.

Tommy sighed next to her, but continued to look up at the clouds, thinking about Kimi. He glanced at Michelle from the corner of his eye, thinking about what it would be like if they had grown up together past the ages of thirteen and ten.

"Hey sis, tell me what it's like being in a band." Tommy said as he looked at Michelle.

"Well, you don't have to deal with nagging parents because you're almost never home. You get to travel a lot, and you can do almost anything you want to do." Michelle replied, fully answering her sibling's question.

Tommy sat up from his laying position under the tree and looked toward the house like Michelle. He sighed again while looking at all of the people in the house, he never did like crowds. Michelle stood from the ground, the chains attached to her tripp jeans clanging as she moved. Tommy followed her example and stood with her.

Michelle started walking towards the crowded house, almost shivering because of the never ending cries and sobs coming through the open windows and patio door. She started to remember pain all to well now, feeling the pain that was emitted from the people that she knew when she was growing up, the people that she once loved before she became the lead singer of Demons and Sins. As she reached the door, several people looked at her, including her mother and aunt. Michelle just ignored all of their eyes and walked upstairs to her old bedroom. Tommy silently followed her, keeping his eyes on the ground to avoid eye-contact with everyone else.

Tommy felt a hand on his shoulder as he walked towards the stairs in the entrance hallway. Looking up from the ground, his eyes met with Charlotte's, she was trying to smile but she just couldn't. Tommy gave her a small smile, before walking again, leaving Charlotte to his mother and uncle.

Michelle was sitting on the stairs when Tommy walked out of the kitchen, and she had stood up again as Tommy stopped in front of her. She continued the rest of the stretch up the stairs to her room, which was still intact even after eight years.

She opened the door, which still had the police line tape on it, and walked in. The walls were still black and the carpet was still red. The walls were still adorned with band posters such as DragonForce, Arch Enemy, and Led Zeppelin. She walked over and jumped onto her bed, looking out the window. She found herself strangely at peace with herself when she was in her bedroom.

* * *

Tommy stood in Michelle's doorway and looked at his sister. She was so calm, but she did emit a sense of pain from losing two people that she knew and cared about. 

"Sis, do you want the stereo on?" Tommy asked his sister.

"Sure." She replied.

Tommy walked over to the stereo in his sister's bedroom and turned it to the auxiliary port, while plugging in his iPod. He turned on Last Resort by Papa Roach.

* * *

_Cut my life into pieces, this is my last resort_

_Suffocation, no breathing, don't give a fuck if I cut my arm, bleeding._

_This is my last resort._

_Cut my life into pieces, I've reached my last resort_

_Suffocation, no breathing_

_Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm, bleeding_

_Do you even care if I die bleeding?_

_Would it be wrong?_

_Would it be right?_

_If I took my life tonight_

_Chances are that I might_

_Mutilation outta sight_

_And I'm contemplating suicide_

_Cuz I'm losing my sight_

_Losing my mind_

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine_

_Losing my sight_

_Losing my mind_

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine_

_I never realized I was spread too thin_

_Till it was too late and I was empty within_

_Hungry!_

_Feeding on chaos_

_And living in sin_

_Downward spiral where do I begin?_

_It all started when I lost my mother_

_No love for myself_

_And no love for another_

_Searching to find a love up on a higher level_

_Finding nothing but questions and devils_

_Cuz I'm losing my sight_

_Losing my mind_

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine_

_Losing my sight_

_Losing my mind_

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine_

_Nothing's alright_

_Nothing is fine_

_I'm running and I'm crying_

_I'm crying now_

_I'm crying now_

_I'm crying now_

_I can't go on living this way_

_Cut my life into pieces, this is my last resort_

_Suffocation, no breathing_

_Don't give a fuck if I cut my arm, bleeding_

_Would it be wrong?_

_Would it be right?_

_If I took my life tonight_

_Chances are that I might_

_Mutilation outta sight_

_And I'm contemplating suicide_

_Cuz I'm losing my sight_

_Losing my mind_

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine_

_Losing my sight_

_Losing my mind_

_Wish somebody would tell me I'm fine_

_Nothing's alright_

_Nothing is fine_

_I'm running and I'm crying_

_I_

_Can't_

_Go_

_On_

_Living_

_This_

_Way_

_Can't go on_

_Living this way_

_Nothing's al…Right!_


	5. Charlotte's Pain

Michelle sighed sadly as the song finished. Tommy looked at her, letting a tear fall from his face onto the carpet beneath his feet. Tommy looked away from his sister and out the door into the hallway, seeing his aunt walk towards the bathroom.

Charlotte walked into the bathroom, unaware that Tommy was following her, and stood in front of the mirror. She looked at her reflection and was utterly disgusted with herself. She snapped and fell to the floor, her body racked with uncontrollable sobs as she laid one hand on her bulging abdomen.

"Is this what my life has become? Why did she have to die at the damn concert? Why didn't Tommy try to help her?"

She cried out all of the questions that were floating around her head, sliding her body over to a corner near the tub. She hugged what she could of her knees close to her body, rocking back and forth trying to stop crying, but to no avail. She silently remembered a song that her mother had sung to her once when she was younger, so she started to sing quietly to herself.

_Our sun is set_

_Our day is done, I'm left here wondering_

_Is this the end, my final words to you?_

_Day turned to night and now you're gone, I'm left here pondering_

_Can this be true, are we really through?  
_

_You were the wind beneath my wings, taught me how to fly_

_With you I lived among the kings, how could this ever die?_

_So I say farewell, I'm yours forever_

_And I always will be_

_You were the angel of my life, taught me to be free_

_  
Now I'm a stranger in your eyes, walls are closing in on me_

So I say farewell, I'm yours forever

_  
And I Always Will Be_

_  
Missing you, in my heart you are the One_

_  
And you Always Will Be_

When I turn to the east, I see no dawn,

_  
but after darkness comes the light_

_  
And when I turn to the west, the silent night hides all_

_  
Where is the light that shines so bright_

So I say farewell, I'm yours forever

_  
And I Always Will Be_

_  
Missing you, in my heart you are The One_

_  
And you always will be_

Nah-nah-na ... and you always will be

_  
Nah-nah-na ... and you always will be_

_  
And you always will be_

_  
My Little One you are_

_  
And you Always Will Be_

Charlotte laid her head back against the tub, the cool ceramic lining her neck, and allowed tears to flow freely from her eyes, but she didn't sob. She released her knees from her grip and laid both of her hands on her abdomen.

"Aunt Charlotte, are you ok?" Someone asked from the doorway.

She slowly lifted her head, flashing her tear-stained face to none other that Tommy.

Tommy stared at his aunt from the doorway as she wiped the tears from her face with another tissue. Tommy walked towards her and sat on the lid of the toilet. He placed his hand on top of hers that lay on her abdomen, and caressed them softly, calming her a little to his surprise. She slid her body towards him and laid her head on his knee, with some tears escaping from her eyes. Tommy smoothed out his aunt's tasseled hair so that it was smoother in appearance than touch. She sighed heavily from her position on the floor, and lifted her head so she could look Tommy in the eyes.

"Tommy, how did she die? Why did she have to be one of the many people to die?" She asked.

Tommy considered her question and thought about it for sometime. Finally he came to a conclusion and, looking into her eyes, started to explain what had happened.

"Well, I had left to look for Kimmi, looking from one corner of the field to the other, and then I headed out into the parking lot to continue my search. Sometime during my little escapade, she was injured and trampled upon by the people who were running for their lives. After she was injured, Kimmi was also injured in the same way, many people were. She died before Angelica though, leaving this world around the same time so they could remain friends forever."

Tommy concluded his story by kissing his aunt gently on her forehead, while wiping tears from her soft eyes. She soon fell asleep from her exhaustion on Tommy's knee, leaving him the only person to carry her into a room to lay her on a bed. He slid his right hand behind her head, and his left hand under her knees, and lifted her up to his chest. He carried her to Michelle's room, but stood in the doorway waiting for her to notice he was there.

Michelle felt another presence in her room, so she moved from her lying position to a sitting position.

"Hey Tom, what's up?" She asked her younger sibling.

"Can aunt Charlotte sleep in here for a while?" He asked while walking towards the bed.

Michelle stood from the bed and pulled back the covers. Tommy placed Charlotte on the bed and Michelle covered her fragile body with the comforters. The two teens both left the room and closed the door.

While walking downstairs, they ran into Drew, who asked where Charlotte was.

"She's sleeping in my room uncle Drew." Michelle said as she pointed to her bedroom.

Drew nodded his head and walked towards the closed door at the end of the hallway. Tommy and Michelle continued to walk down the stairs to the kitchen where everyone else was still standing around with mournful looks still plastered on their faces. Michelle sat across from her mother at the table while Tommy stood behind her.

Didi looked towards her two older children with a small smile on her face. Both of them looked sadly at the older woman, but only then did she realize that there was something on both of their minds.

"What's wrong you two?" She asked her eldest children worriedly.

"Mom, Tommy and I are going to be leaving for a few years." Michelle replied, looking into her mothers eyes.

"Why would you leave when you just got back Chelle? And Tommy, you haven't even finished high school yet." She said as tears formed in her eyes.

The two teens looked down away from her gaze. Tommy looked at his converse; Michelle looked at her hands that were lying in her lap.

Drew opened the door slowly and poked his head in through the crevice. Charlotte was sleeping soundly on Michelle's bed, just like Michelle had told him. He walked over to the bed, and sat on the edge while looking at her sleeping form. She shifted slightly under the covers, but only for a moment. He placed his hand on her forehead and moved the stray strands of blond hair from her angelic face. His hand trailed across her forehead and then down her rosy cheeks, where a final lone tear was brushed away.

"Charlotte, I'm so sorry about Angelica. I wish there was a way I could bring her back to us." He whispered his feelings into her ear.

Charlotte moved her head towards Drew, and slowly opened her eyes. She stared at him for a moment before slowly sitting up.

Once she was sitting up, Charlotte looked into Drew's eyes; feeling the same sorrow that she had felt earlier. She grabbed the front of Drew's shirt and hugged him close to her frail body, feeling his warmth and flesh reminded her of the times that she had held Angelica like this. She cried uncontrollably into his chest, but he just held her small frame against his masculine chest. They stayed there together for quite sometime before Charlotte stood from the bed and started downstairs.


	6. This Could Be the End

Didi looked away from her two eldest children and stood from her chair. Michelle let a single tear, the first one since she came back, fall from her cheek onto her hand. She silently stood from her chair and walked out the patio door to the oak tree.

* * *

Tommy watched as Michelle walked away from the house over to the tree, but she didn't stop there. He watched as she walked over to the fence, which stood around the perimeter of the yard, and jumped over it. Tommy sighed as she disappeared from his view, just when he thought that she was back for good. He walked over to the oak tree and sat next to it. His old dog, Spike, walked over to him and laid down, resting his head on Tommy's lap. Tommy scratched Spike's ear and thought about his sister.

* * *

Michelle walked down the street to the small cemetery two miles away. She walked in, closing the large gate behind her, and walked to a small headstone in the middle of the cemetery. She kneeled down next to the small headstone and placed her hand on the name engraved on it.

"I'm so sorry Michael. It's not your fault that I'm the way I am. I still love you little brother." She kissed the headstone of her deceased younger twin brother.

She laid the pick that he had gotten her on the ground against the headstone, as well as a picture of the two of them together when they were younger.

* * *

Charlotte looked around the house for Michelle, even outside, but no luck. She found Tommy sitting outside next to the oak tree with Spike. She walked over to the teen and leaned against the tree.

"Tommy, are you alright?" She asked. He shook his head no.

"No, Michelle ran off again." He said as a tear fell down his cheek.

Charlotte looked from Tommy to her abdomen. She placed a hand on her abdomen, when she heard an ear shattering blast of music. The sudden burst of music caused her water to break and she collapsed onto the ground.

"Tommy!" She gasped. He looked at her and jumped.

"Aunt Charlotte!" He cried as he saw the puddle of blood on the ground.

* * *

Michelle heard the same burst of loud music and started running towards the house. She hoped that everyone was ok, because she knew who caused that blast of music. She rounded the corner of her street and made a break for the alley. She jumped back over the fence of the backyard and stopped short of the oak tree, that's when she noticed Charlotte on the ground holding her stomach in pain.

* * *

Tommy noticed that someone else was there, so he turned his head and looked into the eyes of his older sister. Her usually rough face was now tear stained and soft. Tommy stood from Charlotte's side and looked closer at Michelle; she was still crying. Tommy hugged Michelle's waist. She finally hugged him back after she wiped the remaining tears form her face.

* * *

Didi sat on the front porch of the house with a glass of water in her hands rocking on the porch swing. She sighed as a gust of wind came forth and hit her face. She had heard the music some time ago, and was sitting outside just in case whoever blasted the music did it again.

* * *

Charlotte screamed out in pain as her unborn child shifted and kicked around her womb. She clutched her stomach as more pain shot through her body, holding back tears of pain as she did.

* * *

Michelle released Tommy and walked into the house as the others were running out to Charlotte. She ran upstairs to her room and locked the door. Walking over to her closet, she hit a spot on the wall where a numerical keyboard popped out of the wall. She punched in her password, which was her old school I.D. number, and watched as the two doors of her walk-in closet opened. She walked in and pulled out two samurai swords from the back wall, two sets of twin daggers off the right wall, a pistol off of the left wall, and several sets of ammunition from a case on the shelf. She walked out of her room and towards the stairs. She walked down and came face to face with...

* * *

Tommy kneeled down next to Charlotte. She looked into his eyes, so full of pain but compassion for the people around him, and smiled. He smiled back as best as he could without crying. He grabbed her hand and caressed it in his. She laid her head on his shoulder and cringed with pain as another contraction hit. Tommy just held his aunt close to him as everybody else was calling the hospital and trying to calm Drew down.

Didi heard everybody in the backyard and walked into the house, only to be met face to face with Michelle. She looked at all of the weapons and forcefully grabbed Michelle's shoulders, throwing her against the wall.

"Michelle, what on earth are you doing?" She asked as she glanced at all of the weapons again.

"Taking care of some unfinished business." Michelle replied as she pushed Didi off of her.

Didi watched as Michelle left the house and jumped into a car with her friends out in the street. They sped off and that was all that was seen of Michelle for the rest of the day.

Michelle stared ahead of her as they gained speed as they neared the neighborhood of their hated rivals since they were kids: The 3rd Street Dragons. She loathed this gang of teens because they were the reason that Michael was dead. When they were around ten years old, the Dragons had their older siblings attack the closest person to Michelle, and that was Michael. Instead of a warning attack like they had planned, they killed Michael and held Michelle in one spot so that she could watch her brother brutally murdered right before her eyes.

Flashback

"Come on Michael, lets go!" Ten year old Michelle said happily as she raced down the street.  
"Be careful Michelle, we're in the Dragons territory now." Michael said as he ran after his sister.  
"I don't care, now come on!" She replied as they reached the corner of the block.

Michelle looked back at her brother and noticed a green, dragon print car, coming towards them. The car stopped in front of them, and four tall, muscular guys stepped out of the car. Michelle screamed in terror and tried to run away, but was caught by one of the four guys and held in place. The other three guys held Michael in place as they beat him senseless. First it was just punching and kicking, then they grabbed weapons from the car and started to beat him with baseball bats and crowbars. Michelle watched helplessly as they beat her brother to partial death. Then after he was beaten and bruised, the biggest guy pulled a gun from his pocket and shot Michael in the face.

The gunshot rang in Michelle's ears and she stared as the figure of her brother fell to the ground. The guy that was holding her threw her to the ground and walked over to the car. As the car sped away, Michelle crawled over to her brother as rain started to pour down to the earth below. She shook Michael at first to try to get him to wake up, and then she broke down and cried onto his lifeless body. Stu and Didi found her later that evening covered in blood, cold, wet, and unconscious.

End

Michelle held back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes as they rounded the corner of the street of The 3rd Street Dragons. She grabbed the grip of the pistol on her right hip and squeezed it in her hand. The car came to a stop in front of a large house that was the home of the teens who had shot her brother all those years ago. She looked away before she jumped out of the car and stood on the side walk outside of the house. One of the boys that has been her rival since she was a kid saw her and came running after her. She pulled out her pistol and shot him in the heart.


	7. Now What?

Michelle watched in twisted fascination as the body of the boy hit the ground, the wound spilling blood over the cracked cement

Michelle watched in twisted fascination as the body of the boy hit the ground, the wound spilling blood over the cracked cement. She continued up the sidewalk until she reached the door. She quickly and easily kicked the door open, raiding the inside of the house with her friends close behind her, and shooting any rivals that she came across.

* * *

Everyone was on end since Michelle had left and Charlotte had gone into labor. Drew was mainly concerned about Charlotte, but there was always a time when he mentioned Michelle in a kind statement. Didi was a little shaken up from when she saw Michelle with all of the weapons that she had just an hour earlier. Tommy was as confused as ever, after losing his girlfriend, cousin, and possibly his only sister. Dil was just as confused as Tommy was, even though he was hiding it to be strong for his family. Stu was also worried about Michelle, she was his eldest child, and he didn't want to lose her like his niece.

* * *

Michelle looked at the few bodies that were around her. Some were her friends and others were her rivals. She turned and looked at the remainder of her friends.

"How many more do you think there are Chris?" She asked the tall, muscular blond male next to her.

"Probably about six or seven." He replied as he looked around the house.

Michelle sighed angrily as she moved towards the steps that led to the second floor of the house. Her remaining friends close behind as they continued their trek up the stairs.

* * *

Drew paced the waiting room of the hospital anxiously as he awaited word on his wife. Three hours had passed by and not one doctor had told him what was happening to Charlotte. Everyone else was sitting in chairs as they all awaited news on Charlotte. There was only one person missing: Tommy. He left soon after the first hour had passed by; he was still thinking about Michelle.

* * *

Michelle sprinted down the hallway of the second floor of the house of the Third Street Dragons, until she reached the closed door at the end of the hallway. She could hear a loud commotion coming from behind the door as she realized that this was the bedroom that the four teenagers, now young adults, shared.

"Alright guys, it's time to get back at the guys that killed my brother." She whispered venomously, making some of the guys flinch.

She stood in front of the large, 7 foot door. Sweat dripped down her face as she stared daggers towards the door. She suddenly reared back and kicked the large door in and crushed one of the older men as she did so. The other three guys looked at her as she smiled a manic smile towards them. Two of the guys charged at her, thinking that their size might intimidate her.

* * *

Drew leaned against the wall as his wife's screams of pain filled his ears.

"Drew, calm down, Charlotte will be just fine." Didi assured him. He glanced towards her as she smiled.

"How can you be so sure Didi?" He asked his sister-in-law.

"I don't know, but Charlotte is a strong independent woman. She can do this." She replied.

Drew looked down at the floor, contemplating Didi's words. Then a thought hit him.

"You mean as strong as Michelle right?" He asked as he glanced at Didi again.

"If you want to think of it that way, then yes." She said as she stood from her chair.

"Well, I believe that she is." Drew said with a smile on his face.

Dil looked around with a confused look on his face.

"Has anyone seen Michelle?" He asked as he looked around the small waiting room again.

"Come to think of it, no I haven't." Stu said as he looked towards Dil.

"Neither have I." Drew said as he finally looked around.

Didi looked down at the floor as a single tear fell from her soft eyes.

"I have." She replied sullenly.

Everyone looked at her as she turned around to face them.

"Where is she Didi?" Stu asked as he looked into her eyes.

"Yea mom, where's Michelle?" Dil questioned.

Didi let her tears fall freely as she replied to their questions.

"She went to get revenge for what happened to Michael!" She cried out.

Stu jumped from his seat as Didi fell to the ground, crying her eyes out. Dil ran to his mother's side as Stu ran to his car.

* * *

Michelle pulled out her 9mm pistol and began to shoot at the two men as they closed in on her. She suddenly felt something pierce the flesh of her shoulder. She glanced down at her shoulder, and saw a gash in it from where a knife had flown past. She glanced back and shot at the last man that was responsible for her brother's death. She looked upon the man that was now at her feet, glancing up at her with hatred in his eyes. She smiled evilly at him and lifted the gun to his face. She slowly pulled the trigger back, and then let loose the last thing that the man would ever see or hear.

Charlotte screamed harder and harder, killing Drew mentally as she did so. He finally left the waiting room and stood outside of the main entrance doors, a lit cigarette in his hand. He felt a strange sensation well through his body, as if someone was watching him. He quickly shook it off as he finished off the cigarette that was almost gone, and then he walked back through the doors.

Unknown to Drew, there was someone watching him, and that someone was none other than Tommy. He had climbed up onto the roof of the hospital and just sat there longingly in the breeze of the moist afternoon.

Michelle and the others were driving to the hospital while taking care of some of their wounded. Michelle looked out the window as she held a damp cloth on Chris' head.

I wonder what's going on there? Michelle thought as she stared at the passing scenery.

"Hey Chelle, we're almost there." Kristoff said as the roof of the hospital came into view.

"Alright." Michelle replied as she turned her attention back to Chris.

It took about three more minutes until they reached the hospital, but they managed to keep everyone alive till they got there. Michelle ran in through the doors of the hospital and towards the maternity wing. She stopped as she saw Didi sitting on one of the chairs, crying her eyes out.


	8. Why Won't This Pain End?

Michelle placed her hand over the gash in her shoulder as she stared blankly at her crying mother. She walked slowly towards the small group of family members sitting in the waiting room. Only one person acknowledged the fact that she was there, and that was Tommy, who had walked in behind his sister.

Tommy placed his hand on her uninjured shoulder, which made her look away from the rest of her family and only notice Tommy.

"What happened after I left?" She asked in a horse whisper.

"Aunt Charlotte went into labor, and that's why we're all here." He replied.

Michelle suddenly heard a cry of pain come from behind the closed doors of the delivery room, causing her to cringe slightly. She looked up towards the doors, and found herself walking towards them. Just as she had reached the door, two arms slipped around her neck, and she found herself pressed up against her mother. Michelle turned her head around and looked into her mother's pained eyes, and noticed the tears that were still falling down her cheeks. Michelle suddenly heard voices coming from behind her.

"Hey 'Chelle! What's going on down her?" She heard Kristoff yell down the hall.

"Yea, what happened while we were gone?" Came Kris' confused voice afterwards.

Michelle turned around and faced the small group of her friends that came bounding down the hall towards her and her family. Tommy stood looking at his sister along with her friends Kristoff, Kris, Megan, Alex, Amber, and Ash. She closed her eyes for a moment and then re-opened them.

"While we were gone, my Aunt went into labor, and now you can hear her screams of pain come from behind those two dreaded grey doors behind me." She said as a growl of frustration escaped her throat.

Everyone looked past her at the two large grey doors that had an emergency sign above them. A loud shriek came from the doors and everyone cringed slightly, including Kristoff and Alex, who weren't afraid of anything. Michelle smirked at the two boys while she walked past them, heating their anger.

"MICHELLE!!" Charlotte yelled from behind the doors of the delivery room.

Michelle stopped dead in her tracks when she heard her name yelled out through the hallway. She looked over her shoulder and watched all of the faces that were watching her. She brushed it off and continued to walk. Drew saw this and ran after her, grabbing hold of her shoulder, and spun her around to face him.

"What's wrong with you Michelle!?" He asked, anger showing in his eyes.

"What's wrong with me?? It's your wife in there, so shouldn't you be in there with her?" She asked, surpassing his anger.

"She called for you, not me." He said as he looked back at the doors.

Michelle broke free of his grasp and continued to walk away. As she was walking away, a doctor walked out of the delivery room and faced the large group of people.

"Which one of you is Michelle Pickles?" He asked.

Michelle lifted her head and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes came in contact with the doctor's and he nodded at her. She nodded back at him and turned around, following him back into the delivery room.

As Michelle looked around, she saw that her aunt was nearing the end of her delivery, but for some reason the baby wasn't coming out. Doctors scattered around the room, checking and using every available piece of equipment that they could find for a simple delivery. Michelle walked over to Charlotte's bed and picked up her hand. Charlotte looked at Michelle, a weak smile on her face as she looked into her eyes.

"You're alright." She said weakly, Michelle only nodded her head.

"What about you?" Michelle asked as she looked at her aunt's tired demeanor.

"I've been better." She said, finishing just before a contraction pulled her from the conversation.

Michelle grasped Charlotte's hand and looked at her aunt's pained expression. Even though she had just killed an entire group of gang members, she couldn't stand to see her aunt in pain. The two of them were closer to each other than Michelle was to her own mother. After the contraction subsided for the time being, Michelle called one of the doctors over and walked with him over to a corner in the room.

"What's going on here? Why isn't the baby coming out?" She asked angrily.

"We don't know why Miss Pickles, all we can say is that, if we don't get the baby out soon, there is a high possibility that the two of them could die." He said as he looked down at the ground sadly.

Michelle stood there as still as stone as she remembered seeing the same thing happen to a friend of hers. The memory brought tears to her eyes as she hung her head down, looking at the floor, her bangs shielding her face. The doctor placed a hand on her shoulder, and she raised her head to look at him. He had a small smile on his face, and walked back over to the other doctors. Michelle walked over to Charlotte and took her hand, wiping away tears as she did. Charlotte looked up at Michelle and noticed the tears. She reached her hand up to Michelle's face and wiped them away, giving her a soft smile as she did. Michelle looked down at Charlotte and hugged her gently.

"Let's get that baby delivered Aunt Charlotte." She said with a small smile.

"Ok Michelle." She said as a contraction hit again.

"Yo! Get your asses back to work here!" Michelle yelled, making the doctors jump and return to their roles in the delivery.

Michelle held Charlotte's hand tighter than she had before; she didn't want her aunt to die in front of her. Charlotte had begun to push again, knowing that Michelle was there beside her gave her new strength and confidence.

"Is the baby even coming out?" Michelle asked with a deadly glare resting on the doctor at the foot of the bed.

"Yes, Miss Pickles. Just a little more and we will have a little Pickles here to see the world." The doctor said with a small smile behind his mask.

Michelle looked back at her tired aunt, rubbing her hand across Charlotte's face, smiling a little as she did so. Charlotte glanced at her niece, who was a deathly white color; Charlotte knew that something was bothering her. Another contraction came to Charlotte's tired body and she pushed as much as she could; screaming in pain and agony as she did.

Michelle just stood there and held her tired aunt's hand, caressing it in her own hands. Several minutes have passed, and Michelle started to fear the worst when she had heard no cries of a newborn baby.

_'What the hell is going on?' _She thought as she was looking at Charlotte.

Just as she finished that contemplation in her mind, the healthy cries of an infant could be heard throughout the entire room and in the hallway as well.

Drew was the first person to lift his head as the distressed cries of his infant child came from behind the two grey doors that he was standing by. He watched as Michelle walked out of the room, ghost white and shaking, as she walked towards her friends. Drew began to worry and thought that the worst had happened; that is until Michelle turned around and smiled at him. He felt relieved as he stood in his spot watching her leave to go see her other friends that were in the hospital being treated.

Michelle sat in the average operating room as the doctors were finishing up her stitches. She winced a little when the doctor that was doing the stitches pulled too hard, tightening the skin closer together. She shot him a glare, and he immediately apologized for his misjudgment of her body's limit. She just brushed him off and stared straight ahead at the wall in front of her again.

"Michelle! Hurry up, your aunt wants to see you!" Kris yelled through the door.

"What? Already? Alright, tell her I'm on my way!" Michelle yelled back as the doctor finished her stitches.

She pulled her leather jacket over her shoulder and walked down the hall to meet up with Kristoff. The two friends walked down the hall to a new room and were met with the smiling faces of Michelle's family. Tommy looked at her the same way that they always looked at each other; with understanding in their eyes. They each exchanged a small smile as Michelle walked into the hospital room, her eyes locked on Charlotte, who now cradled a healthy baby girl in her arms. Michelle sat on the foot of the bed and looked at the tiny infant in her aunt's arms.

Charlotte lifted her head when Michelle sat down; she noticed that the color had returned to her face, and she sighed in relief. Michelle glanced up at Charlotte's face, and she noticed the motherly smile that was present on her face. She gave Charlotte a small smile before she stood from the bed. Everyone, except her friends and Tommy, looked at her with a look of confusion as she left the room, followed by her friends and brother.

"Michelle, where are you going?" Charlotte questioned as she watched the group of teens.

"Home." Michelle replied, looking at the woman over her shoulder.

"Why? You just got here." Charlotte said, her voice cracking from the onset of tears.

"I know, but tomorrow is the anniversary of…His death." Her voice trailed off into a whisper as she talked about her brother.

"But look what happened today. You got your revenge and now you have a newborn baby cousin, who still needs a name." Charlotte replied as she looked at Michelle's pained facial expression.

"I know, but I still need to get ready for tomorrow…" Michelle said as she continued walking out the door.

"But Michelle, what about-" Charlotte started to say before Drew cut her off.

"Just let her be Charlotte, tomorrow is an important day for her." He said as Michelle smiled at him thankfully.

Michelle sat in the backseat of the Mustang as the group drove off towards her house. She stared at the passing houses blankly as she thought about her brother.

'Tomorrow is the anniversary of what happened to you all those years ago, Michael.' She thought as the car passed the cemetery.

The tires screeched as the car stopped in the driveway of her house, and she jumped over the door of the backseat, her feet landing on the ground with a soft thud. She walked over to the fence and climbed over it, landing in the grass of the backyard. The guys followed her as she walked over to the patio door and opened it, walking inside with her friends following behind her.


	9. Things Happen

Disclaimer: Rugrats still does not belong to me…But Michelle and her friends do.

Michelle slowly climbed up the stairs, her feet landing heavily on the carpeted wood of the staircase. Kris, Kristoff, Alex, Ash, Amber, and Megan all followed her to her 'Do Not Cross' sign plastered bedroom. They slowly followed after their pained friend, and leaned against the walls of her room as she sat heavily on the bed. Michelle folded her arm over her eyes as she laid her head down on the pillow.

"What do you guys think Aunt Charlotte will name the baby?" She asked, her arm still covering her eyes.

"I think she'll name her after Angelica." Ash replied with a small smile. Megan nudged her arm playfully and knocked her into Kristoff.

"She might name her Maggie, or even Sarah, but I'm not entirely sure." Kris said from his place under a 'Nightwish' band poster.

Michelle took her arm off of her eyes and looked at all of her friends. She sat up with a small smile, and tucked her bangs behind her left ear, letting some of it hang over her right eye.

"You guys are right…We really have no clue, but I hope she names it after one of the names we thought of." She said as she looked at all of them in the eyes.

Everyone smiled at her, and nodded their heads once before pushing off of the walls and gathering in a dog-pile of Michelle's bed. The girls of the group laughed happily even if the larger boys were squishing them under their weight. Michelle managed to squirm out from the bottom of the dog-pile, and walked over to her closet. She quietly hit the part of her wall where her numerical keypad lay hidden, and typed in her school ID number. The doors flung open, and she pushed aside some jeans and t-shirts, before she came upon a small memorial on a shelf, dedicated to her deceased brother. She reached into the front-right pocket of her jeans and pulled out a cigarette lighter, not that she smoked or anything like that, and lit the small candle next to Michael's picture. She pulled a Swiss-army knife off of the shelf, and made a small slit in her finger, just enough to get a few drops of blood out. She watched the small drops drip from her finger and into a small vile that had lain next to the picture for years. She silently sealed the vile and laid it back next to the picture.

* * *

Charlotte reclined against the mound of pillows that rested on her bed. Her newborn daughter rested in her arms, and she smiled down at her blonde-haired beauty. Her mind drifted to her other, deceased, blonde beauty.

"Angelica…" She whispered sadly as she looked out her window towards the moon that hung in the navy blue sky.

Silent tears fell down her cheeks as she pictured her eldest daughter, missing the birth of her sibling. Had she been there, Michelle could have stayed with her friends instead of coming to her side. Charlotte looked down at her sleeping daughter, tears still falling, and smiled slightly.

"If only…My little one…" She whispered as she ran her fingers over the small child's head.

What would have only taken a younger woman a few hours, took her twice as long, and she was wiped out. Her body ached all over, and her eyes were heavy with the onset of sleep. A nurse came in a few minutes later and took the newborn from Charlotte for the night, for which Charlotte was grateful for, since she was profusely tired from her ordeal of the birth of the baby.

"I still need to name her…But what would fit besides Angelica?" She asked herself as she rested her head on the pillows and soon drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Tommy walked into the house, and was greeted by the music of 'Within Temptation' blasting from the second floor. He stalked up the stairs and walked down towards Michelle's room, slowly opening the door and gazing upon his teary-eyed elder sibling. She was lying on her back looking at a picture of her twin brother, Michael, and had 'The Howling' blasting from her radio. He sighed silently as he walked into her bedroom, and sat beside her on the bed.

* * *

Michelle looked over to Tommy and quickly dried her cheeks, since she had stopped crying at least an hour ago. She slowly sat up in bed and looked at him. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and then broke away when the music started up again.

"Still listening to Within Temptation?" Tommy asked playfully. Michelle nudged his arm playfully as she smiled a little.

"You know me…Nothing can compare to my music." She said with a soft smile on her face.

"Hey…I didn't say that they were bad…They're the opposite really." He said with a small smile.

Michelle grabbed her stereo's remote and flipped the song from 'What Have You Done' to 'Frozen', since she liked the tranquility of 'Frozen' than the hostility of 'What Have You Done'. She closed her eyes as she became lost in the song, and she pulled her knees up to her chin. Tommy closed his eyes too, and pictured everyone near to him that had died. He saw Michael and Angelica, but he mostly saw Kimmi, his one true love. The sight of her almost brought tears to his eyes, but he held them back and remained strong for his love. He slowly opened his eyes and glanced over to Michelle, who had one eye open. He stood from the bed and walked out of her room.

* * *

Tommy walked into his room and rested on his bed. Tomorrow was the first day of school, a place that he dreaded now that Kimi was gone, but he still had to hold out as the leader of the group and remain strong for the others. His summer had gone by in a blur since the death of Kimi and Angelica, but he was still pretty much himself…In appearance at least. On the inside, he was heartbroken, but his friends and family (excluding Michelle) told him that it would pass over, like a phase of some sort. But to Tommy, he felt like he was an angel that was sitting on cloud nine playing his harp, and then had his wings ripped off, his harp destroyed, and was thrown down to the fiery and lowest depths of hell. His reality was now his hell, and there was nothing he could do to change it. Even through it all, he managed to find a type of sanctuary when he was with Michelle, a sister and brother type of thing, and nothing more. The two of them could see through each other, and they always seemed to know what the other wanted, or what the other was thinking.

* * *

Didi walked into the house, sometime after the kids had come home, with Stu following closely behind her. They always seemed to argue now, especially when it came to Michelle and Tommy, but Dil was never fawned upon since he became a teenager.

"I'm telling you Didi, Michelle needs her space." Stu said as he was pelted with the music blasting from upstairs.

"And I'm saying that she needs psychiatric help, Stu." Didi replied as she placed her purse on the kitchen table.

"She doesn't need help, Didi. She needs us to leave her alone." He retaliated, placing his car keys on the kitchen counter.

Didi sighed impatiently as she looked over her shoulder towards her husband. She dug around through her purse and found a small business card that had been tucked away for almost a week now.

"And speaking of therapy, Tommy can join her to help get his mind off of Kimi." She said as she pulled her cell phone out of a small pocket in her purse.

"Didi, you need to leave those two alone. They haven't done anything to you." Stu said, defending his remaining elder children.

"Stu, I don't believe that they should keep these things bottled up like this. They need help that we can provide." She said sadly as she looked at him.

"They don't need a psychiatrist; they need us to let them work through these things." He said as he looked down at her.

Didi sighed again before punching numbers into her cell phone's keypad. Stu sighed at his arrogant wife, and walked out of the kitchen as he heard her speaking with a therapist. He slowly walked up the stairs to the second floor of the house and stopped to look at the bedroom doors of Tommy and Michelle. They were the same as they had been for years, but that never stopped him from glancing at them from time to time. Tommy's door contained a 'Slipknot' poster, with a 'Do Not Disturb' sign just below the poster. Michelle's door sported her classic 'Do Not Cross' police tape, along with some chains that fell from the doorway's entrance. She had put all of her little pictures of friends on the door, but held the ones of Michael in her room.

* * *

Michelle laid on her bed listening to the song 'Amaranth' by Nightwish, when she glanced out her window at the shining moon outside. Tears had been brimming her eyes for an hour and a half now, and she still hadn't let them fall…Not that she wanted them too. Her phone went off next to her on the bed, and she slowly looked down at the name of the person calling. 'Lycan Chick' was shown on the screen of her phone, and she smiled down at it. She flipped the phone open and held it to her ear.

"What's up, Megan?" She asked.

"Not much chick. Wanna catch a movie with me and Ash?" Megan asked from the other line.

"Amber going too?" Michelle asked as she played with the chains of her tripps.

"Nah, her mom's in super bitch mode today and kept her home." Megan replied.

"Sure, I'll be over soon. Want me to meet you at the theater?" Michelle asked as she looked out at the moon again.

"Don't worry about it; we're already on our way. Actually, we're already outside of your house, and knowing you, you're getting ready to sneak out of your bedroom window." Megan said with a hint of laughter as she watched Michelle dangle from her bedroom window.

"Hey…It's what I'm good at." Michelle replied as she dropped down to the ground, landing with a soft _thud_.

She ran over to the car and hopped in through the open door. Ash sped off in the direction of the movie theater and the three of them laughed easily as they drove along. Michelle's phone went off again, and 'Little Goth Bro.' appeared on the screen. She flipped her phone open once again, and held it next to her ear.

"What's up, little bro?" She asked as she leaned back into the seats of Ash's car.

"Where are you? Mom's flipping out." He said as a small cry came from the background.

"Hanging out with Ash and Megan. Tell her I'll be home later." She replied as she waited for his response.

"She says she wants you home now…But I didn't say it…" He said with a small chuckle.

"I'll be home later…I think she can wait a few hours for me to enjoy myself." She replied as she opened the door of the car to get out.

"Ok, but it's your funeral." He said with playfulness.

"Yea, yea, yea." She replied as she hung the phone up.

The trio walked into the theater and purchased their tickets for the movie 'Disaster Movie', and was surprised to see that so few people were coming for the movies tonight. They walked over to the snack bar and ordered a large popcorn, three hotdogs, and three boxes of Snocaps. They walked slowly towards the theater room, turning off their Zune's and phones as they entered, and took their seats at the front of the theater. There were more people here, but they were mostly love-struck teens that had nothing better to do than come to a comedy movie to make-out in the back. She sighed as she made herself comfortable in the second row of the front seats. She reclined down into her seat and propped her knees up against the chair in front of her, while eating some pieces of popcorn.

_3 Hours Later_

Michelle was sitting on a Dance Dance Revolution machine that was in the theater's lobby. She was watching Ash play 'Dragon Blade', and she was always considered the 'human good-luck charm' for Ash. Michelle swung her legs on the machine's edge, the beats of the techno music pulsed through her ears, and she moved her head with the beat of the song. Ash stomped out the last note of the song, and fell heavily against the balance bar of the electronic jump pads.

"HA!! I got an A." Ash said happily as she pushed herself off of the balance bar.

"What was that on? Expert? Now try it on Challenge." Michelle said with a devious smile.

"You're freaking crazy if you think I'm playing THAT song on Challenge." Ash replied as she jumped off of the jump pads, and landed on the floor.

"Aww…I really wanted to see that." Michelle replied playfully as the trio walked out of the theater and into the parking lot.

They all walked down to the car, talking and laughing along the way. They quickly got into the car, and Ash revved up the engine so they could leave. They drove out of the parking lot and down the street to Michelle's house first, letting her out so she could sneak back into the house through her open window.

Michelle climbed up the side of the house where the gutter was, and she walked across the roof and into her bedroom window, all without making a startling noise. She walked over to her dresser and pulled out a black pair of shorts, black and red striped stockings, and a black 'Ramones' tank-top. She slipped the clothes on in her bathroom, and then crawled into her bed, 'Sleeping Sun' playing from her stereo and lulling her to sleep.

* * *

Charlotte awoke in the middle of the night, her eyes scanning around the room and landing on a small incubator where her newborn daughter was sleeping. Charlotte hoisted herself into a sitting position on the bed, and then swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stood from it. She stumbled a little, but caught herself so she wouldn't fall to the cold, tile floor beneath her. She walked slowly over to the incubator of her infant daughter, and stared in at the small child.

"I guess I could name you Angelica…But I don't know if it's the right thing to do." She said as she put her hand into the incubator and rubbed the small child's head with her fingertips.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt too much to call you that…" She said as she looked down at the infant that was looking up at her. The child cooed under Charlotte's touch, and Charlotte smiled at her daughter.

"I'll call you Angelica…Since you act so much like she did when she was an infant." She said with a small smile as she looked down at her daughter.

Angelica giggled under her mother's touch and she felt the warmth that only her mother could provide to her through a smile. She yawned and her eyes started to close all together. The last thing that Angelica saw was Charlotte smiling down at her, and then she fell asleep.


	10. Rememberance and Phone Calls

The light of a new day came through Michelle's bedroom window curtains, and it shined directly on her face. She groaned in displeasure and rolled over, covering her head with her quilt as she did so. Tommy walked into her room and yanked the blanket off of her head, allowing the light to shine on her once again. She cracked her eyes open and looked at her younger brother with angered eyes.

"You are so fucking dead…" She said as she sat up on her bed and rubbed her eyes with her hands.

"Yea…That's what you always say, and there hasn't been a result yet." He replied with a smile.

"Oh, there hasn't has there?" She asked as she brought him into a headlock. "How about now?" She asked as she started to give him a nuggie with her free hand.

"Stop 'Chelle!!" He pleaded as he tried to pull his head out from her grasp.

She released his head and laughed a little as she watched him fall backwards onto her bed. She fell back as well and laid there, her hands behind her head once again. 'Deep Silent Complete' belted out of her stereo in a calming manner, and she felt at peace for the time. She looked over at Tommy and then smiled a little.

"I don't see why you would wake my ass up…I graduated last year, remember." She said as she crawled back towards the head of her bed. "And I have better things to do than walk you out to the bus." She said as she rested against her pillows.

"I only woke you up because mom told me too." He said as he stood from the bed.

"Tell her I'm sleeping, and to try again in about five hours." She replied as she snuggled under the covers once more.

"She said she needed to talk with you before she left to go shopping or something like that." He said as he sat on Michelle.

"OW!! Alright…I'm up." She said as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

She swung her legs over the side of her bed and walked over to the closet, punching in her code, and pulling out a pair of red and black Tripp jeans, a Nightwish t-shirt, ankle socks, and her infamous Converse All Stars. She walked into her bathroom and quickly discarded her pajamas for her daily wear. Her studded belt gleamed in the sunlight after being revealed by the short Nightwish t-shirt, and she quickly covered her arms in fishnet arm warmers, black fingerless gloves, jelly bracelets on her left arm and a studded bracelet on her right. She stood in her bedroom before her floor-length mirror and looked at her reflection.

"How do I look?" She asked as she turned her head towards Tommy.

"You look awesome, sis." He said, nodding his approval of her outfit.

"So do you little bro." She said as she walked away from her mirror and towards the door of her room.

She walked down the stairs, Tommy following at her heels, and stepped into the living room where Didi was sitting on the couch.

* * *

Charlotte rested against the pillows of her hospital bed once again, Angelica lying in her arms and wiggling non-stop. Charlotte smiled down at her little baby girl, and gently tickled her little girl with the tips of her nails. Angelica giggled under her mother's gentle touch, and she grasped Charlotte's fingers in her tiny fist and inspected them with newborn interest. Charlotte smiled at her small daughter, and traced the small girl's nose with her fingertip, her soft skin making Charlotte glad that she was conceived and then born.

"How are you today…My little angel." Charlotte said as she cradled her small daughter against her chest.

Angelica cooed and snuggled into Charlotte's chest as she started to fall asleep. Charlotte rocked her little baby in her arms and looked out the window to the clear blue sky overhead. Angelica whimpered for her mother's attention, and gripped Charlotte's hospital gown in a need for attention. Charlotte looked down at Angelica, and smiled softly at her little girl.

"I'm sorry…Are you hungry?" She asked as she looked down at Angelica's hunger filled eyes.

Angelica reached for Charlotte and wiggled in and out of her mother's grasp in an attempt to find her breakfast. Charlotte laughed as she watched her daughter with motherly amusement, and slowly opened her gown for Angelica to feed.

* * *

Tommy was slowly making his way down to school, his head hung low and his shoulders were hunched as he walked. His messenger bag, covered in band patches and pins, hung loosely at his side as he walked. He didn't bother taking his car, since it still felt unnatural to him just to sit in the car. Maybe it had been a week since her death, but Tommy still felt Kimi everywhere he went. He wanted her there with him, but knew that it was impossible to replenish human life. He wiped away a tear that slid silently down his cheek, and hung his head as the large high school came into view.

"Kimi…I love you so much." He said in a whisper just as he approached the stairs of the building.

"There you are Tommy!" A congested male voice sounded in his ears. He looked up at his childhood friend, Chuckie Finster.

"How's it going, Chuck?" He asked with a small smile.

"Eh…Same old, same old. Nothing new for me." He said as he ran his hand through his unruly orange hair.

"Same. How about you guys?" He asked as he looked at Phil and Lil DeVille.

"Pretty un-interesting." Phil said as he kicked a small pebble with his shoe.

"Nothing's happened since the concert…And I don't want to remember that." Lil said as she shoved her hands into her pockets.

Tommy looked sadly at all of his childhood friends and then thought to the two that were missing. He looked down to his Converse and kicked the ground with the toes of his shoe. He lifted his head to look into the eyes of his hurt friends who were looking at him with concern in their eyes.

"Guys, I'm fine, don't worry about me." He said as he smiled at them.

"Whatever you say, Tommy." Chuckie said as he walked up the stairs and through the double doors of the school's entrance.

Tommy soon followed after Chuckie, along with Phil and Lil, and walked down the hall to his locker. He opened it slowly and pulled out a 3-ring binder for his second class, and then left the hallway to walk through the courtyard towards the gym. He walked into the gymnasium, with Phil and Chuckie, just as the first bell sounded in the background. He slowly pulled out a clean gym uniform and his wallet for two dollars, and waited patiently for the teachers to start calling them to buy lockers.

"Alright! We're gonna have the ladies go for lockers and uniforms first, and then the guys!" Their weightlifting coach, Coach Salmi, yelled over the chattering as the female students stood and walked down the bleachers towards a small table that sat in the gym.

"First day of school…First day with a loud teacher." Chuckie said as he rested his elbows on the bleacher behind him.

"You said it Chuckie." Tommy said, nodding his head in agreement to his buddy.

They sat there, conversing throughout most of the class while their teacher handed out papers and forms for them and their parents to sign, and then stood up to get their locks, lockers, and uniforms. The three of them walked into the boy's locker room and found their lockers, coincidentally right next to each other, with Tommy's in the middle. He fiddled around with the lock and finally managed to get it open, and then placed his gym uniform inside of the green locker, and then shut and locked it before leaving the locker room.

* * *

Michelle sat on the chair in the living room and fiddled with the studs that lined her bracelet. Didi sat on the couch to her right and stared at her. Michelle sighed as she stopped playing with her bracelet and turned her head towards Didi.

"So…Tommy said you wanted to talk with me." She said as she looked at Didi with bored eyes.

"Yes…It's about your problem with your brother's death." Didi replied in a whisper.

"What do you mean by 'problem'?" Michelle asked bitterly as she glared at Didi.

"I mean that you need help Michelle…You and Tommy both." Didi said as she stood from the couch, looming over Michelle.

Michelle stood from the chair and stood in front of Didi, who backed away slightly at her daughter's angered expression. Michelle wanted to back hand her mother, but decided against it and walked towards the stairs. She stood at the foot of the stairs and gave one last glare to Didi, before turning away from the older woman and stomping up the stairs and down the hall to her bedroom.

* * *

Didi watched as Michelle stomped away, and sighed heavily as she heard the resounding slamming of the bedroom door. She slumped back down into the couch, and rubbed her eyes with her index finger and thumb.

"I wonder if Charlotte and Drew ever had this much trouble with Angelica." She thought to herself as she rested her head back against the couch.

* * *

Stu walked into the living room and noticed a distressed Didi sitting on the couch. He sighed heavily, since he had come up from the basement after hearing a door slam in the house. He walked over to the couch and stared at Didi from behind her, and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I told you, didn't I?" He asked as she turned her head towards him.

"Maybe, but she could accomplish so much if she would just stop crying over him." She replied as she leaned forward on the couch and rested her elbows on her knees.

"Like I said before…She needs her space, and Tommy does too. There's no need to push this kind of thing on them." He said as he rubbed her shoulders with his hands.

She turned and looked up at him with anticipation in her eyes. He smiled down at her knowingly and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He rested his head on her shoulder and took in her hug, since they rarely did so anymore, and the smile that was present on his face only grew as she tightened her embrace on him.

* * *

Michelle sat on her bed, anger flashing in her eyes, and she pulled her cell phone out of her nightstand drawer. She typed the numbers onto the keypad and held the phone up to her ear. The ringing gave her the satisfaction that she needed, and then a woman's voice came from the other end.

"Lakeview Hospital, how may I help you?" The woman asked in a cheery voice, making Michelle fake-gag as she listened.

"Can you transfer me to the room of Mrs. Charlotte Pickles?" Michelle asked as she tapped her fingers on her knee while keeping in time to 'Nightwish'.

"Of course, one moment please." The woman replied and then her voice disappeared to be replaced by another phone ringing.

Michelle continued to tap her fingers on her knee as the songs switched around in shuffle mode, while keeping her mind focused on the ringing phone that was still attached to her ear. The ringing stopped for a moment, and was soon replaced by the soft voice of her aunt.

* * *

Charlotte picked up her ringing room phone and quickly adjusted Angelica in her arm.

"Hello." She said as she held the phone cord out of Angelica's reach.

"Hey, Aunt Charlotte." Michelle's voice sounded through the phone line.

"Michelle? What do you need now?" She asked her niece jokingly.

"Well, fine, if that's how you really feel, I'll hang up." Michelle said with the same hint of false anger that Charlotte had used.

"Oh, don't be like that…I'm only joking around with you." Charlotte replied as she rocked Angelica in her arm.

"Ok, now that you see things my way…I really called to ask how you were and if you had named the baby yet." Michelle said as her voice trailed off a little.

"I'm fine…And yes, I did name the baby." Charlotte said as she heard a small whoop of joy from the other end.

"Good to know that you're ok…What did you name her?" Michelle asked as she tapped the phone with her fingers.

"I named her after your cousin…It was the only name that seemed to fit her." Charlotte said with a whisper as she looked down at her infant daughter.

"Oh…I guess I can live with that." Michelle said as she fell to her pillows on her bed.

"I know how you feel…Angelica was like a sister to you…" Charlotte said as her voice drifted off into a whisper.

"Don't worry about it, Aunt Charlotte…I'll always be there to protect her." Michelle said as she tried to calm Charlotte down.

"I know…And I'm glad that you will be." Charlotte replied as she looked down at her daughter.

"And I'm glad that you'll be there to help me protect her…" Michelle said softly as her voice drifted off.

"I am too, Michelle…I am too. Now I should go so I can get her to sleep, I'll call you later." Charlotte said as she looked down at her dozing daughter.

"Ok, give her a kiss for me." Michelle said with a giggle.

"Don't worry…I will." Charlotte replied. "Bye Chell." She said as she slowly stood up from the bed.

"Bye, Aunt Charlotte." Michelle said as she hung her cell phone up.

Charlotte put the room phone back on its hook and walked over to Angelica's hospital bed. She gently laid her dozing daughter in the bed and kissed her head. Angelica smiled at Charlotte and reached for her mother's blonde hair. Charlotte smiled and brought her head back, and then traced her finger over Angelica's nose. Said infant giggled under Charlotte's touch, and then rolled over onto her side, where she fell asleep. Charlotte smiled down at her daughter and walked back over to her bed where she sat and looked out of her window at the clear blue sky outside. Charlotte smiled knowing that her first princess was watching over her baby sister, and that made Charlotte smile all the more as she pictured Michelle standing in Angelica's place in helping take care of the young infant. She leaned back against the pillows of her bed again and soon drifted off to sleep, dreaming of her family, including her eldest daughter.

* * *

Michelle leaned against the headboard of her bed, her knees up to her chest, as she listened to 'Prayer of the Refugee'. She always let her music take her someplace else, and this time was no exception. She found it odd that her own mother would even consider therapy, let alone mention it to her. What gave her mother an initiative to even suggest therapy for her and Tommy? Was it his obsession with Kimi? Her own obsession with her brother, Michael? Questions buzzed around her head and wouldn't stop, even for an instant.

"Damn it…What the hell is wrong with her?" Michelle asked herself as she sat upright on her bed.

She drove her hands through her hair and rested her head on her knees. Minor tears fell from her eyes and splashed against her knees as she fought against them. Her eyes began to sting from the tears that she was holding back, but she didn't care…As long as she held them in, she didn't feel weak. She brought her head up and looked out her bedroom window, the clouds moving overhead provided shade for her bedroom.

"I knew it was a bad idea to come home…Damn! I always let someone get the best of me." She said as she slammed her fist onto her nightstand.

She jumped off of her bed and walked over to her dresser and looked herself over in her mirror. She looked like she always did, same old Michelle with her Tripp jeans, her ever-present band t-shirt or tank-top, her black and white Converse high-tops, black fingernail polish, eyebrow ring, lip rings, gages…It was still all the same, and it wasn't changing. She ran her hand through her hair again, and sighed in an angered and defeated tone.

'How could she do that to me?' She thought to herself as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

She shoved her hand into her pocket and pulled out a small key. Her eyes drifted down to her dresser drawer and she unlocked it with the key. She looked in at all of the various pictures and picks that were lying inside, and she silently pulled out a small journal with the names 'Michelle and Michael' scrawled across the top. It was one of many, but it was the last of theirs together. She closed and locked the drawer again and slowly walked over to her bed. She sat heavily on the edge and flipped open the journal.

_"June 12__th__, 1999,_

_Michelle: 5__th__ grade is such a bust Mike…I swear that the teacher is out to get me._

_Michael: You said it…I feel the same way sis._

_Michelle: We gotta find a way out of it…But mom is always on our tails._

_Michael: Yea, but she just wants the best for us._

_Michelle: You were always mom's goody-goody…Always playing by the rules._

_Michael: I do not!_

_Michelle: Yea you do._

_Michael: Whatever…You know that I don't, so why push it._

_Michelle: Because it's true…_

_Michael: Stop trying to push it Chelle…It's not gonna work._

_Michelle: It will eventually…So I'll keep going, and you know that you are._

_Michael: …Just stop while you're ahead Chelle…_

_Michelle: Why? Annoying you is sooooo much fun!_

_Michael: I'm not gonna give you a smart comeback, so you think of one for me._

_Michelle: You know that's no fun…_

_Michael: Well, too bad…"_

"I can't believe it's been so long since he died…It doesn't even feel like he's been gone that long." Michelle said as she skimmed over the page again.

* * *

Tommy sat through the first half of school with no problems, but he soon wondered what his mom wanted to talk to Michelle about. It had eaten at him for the first few minutes of lunch, but now it was almost unbearable. He walked into the cafeteria, almost running into one of the assistant principals, and ran into the boy's bathroom. He dug around in his pocket, and soon found his cell phone. He flipped it open and started to type out a message.

_'What did mom say?'_ He typed as he fidgeted with the loops of his jeans.

_'That we should take therapy sessions…'_ Showed up a few minutes later.

_'Like I'm gonna agree to that…'_ He said as he waited for her response.

_'You know that she probably already called and set an appointment.'_ She wrote as he sighed.

_'I'm still not going…'_ He wrote in reply.

_'Same…And she can't make me, either. I'm a legal adult.'_ She wrote in response.

_'Yea and you have a good job, so I could say that I live with you.'_ He wrote quickly.

_'True…Good point.'_ She wrote as he smiled happily.

_'I'll see you after school…Gotta go…'_ He text quickly.

_'Same…Meeting up with Ash and Megan later.'_ She wrote as he hid his phone back in his pocket.

He walked out of the bathroom and back out to where Chuckie, Phil, and Lil were sitting. He sat back down next to Lil and sighed in a defeated tone.

"What's wrong Tommy?" Lil asked as she looked at him.

"Family problems…" He said as she looked down at his hands.

"Like what? We can take a hit." Phil said as he playfully punched Tommy in the arm.

"Like my mom signing me and Michelle up for therapy." He said angrily as he hit his thighs.

"Ouch…She really has turned against you two." Chuckie said as he looked up from his book.

"No joke either…I just got done texting Michelle a few minutes ago." Tommy replied as he rested his hands on his knees.

"Wow…She's really gone hill since the concert…And even those years ago when Michael…You know…" Phil said as he remembered his other brother figure.

"Yea…It still feels awkward without him around." Lil said with a sigh.

"I know how you guys feel…He was my true blood brother." Tommy said as he traced his finger on his jeans.

Lil sighed as she pulled Tommy into a friendly hug, followed by Phil and then Chuckie. The trio sat there for the remainder of lunch, giving that occasional hug that would hopefully help the other cope.


	11. The Tears from My Heart

**A/N: So, I finally stopped procrastinating and got the next chapter done, YAY! Confetti. So, here it is, the next installment of '_Through the Fire and Flames_'!**

* * *

Michelle slowly stood up from her bed later that morning, and threw on her black chocker, and her black hoodie soon followed. She put her cell phone into her pocket and her Zune in the other as she climbed out of her bedroom window and slid down to the lip of the roof. She dangled there for a moment and then let herself drop down to the ground below, landing with a soft _thud_ and falling to her knees. She slowly stood from the ground and dusted off her jeans while walking towards the sidewalk where Ash and Megan were waiting with Ash's truck. Michelle jumped into the backseat and put her feet up on the open window.

"So, what's going on with you?" Megan asked as she texted Kris on her phone.

"I'm planning on taking off with the band again." Michelle said as she looked up at the clouds that passed overhead.

"Why? What did your crazy-ass mom do this time?" Ash asked as she looked into her rearview mirror.

"She signed me and Tommy up for therapy, or at least she's trying to." Michelle responded as she played with the small pentagram that hung from the chocker on her neck.

"That's going too far on her part." Megan said as she finished her text.

"That's the exact same thing that I was thinking while I was texting Tommy earlier." Michelle said as she flicked a bug off of her shirt.

"Good, 'cause you know that it's true. Ever since he passed she's been a demon in pink." Ash said as she gripped the steering wheel in her fists.

"Hey…Think you could swing by the hospital after the movie?" Michelle asked as she sat up on the seat.

"Yea, I wanna see how Charlotte and the baby are doing too." Megan said as she brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

"She named the baby after Angelica…I haven't told anyone yet." Michelle said as she put her hand on Megan's shoulder.

"What does it matter? Mother and baby are fine, and that's all I'm truly concerned about." Ash said as she pulled into the parking lot of the movie theater.

"Yea and we can all be thankful for that." Michelle said as she leaned back in the seat for the remainder of the car ride.

As Ash pulled into a parking space, Michelle hopped out of the backseat with a new glow to her. She smiled as her two friends caught up with her at the entrance to the theater where they purchased their tickets for _Hellboy II_.

* * *

Charlotte awoke some time after she had fallen asleep, her eyes falling upon Angelica's cradle. She noticed her young infant wiggling around in the blanket that covered her, and reluctantly pushed herself out of bed to aid her young daughter. She walked over to the bassinet and looked down at her daughter with a small smile. Angelica stopped squirming and looked up at Charlotte, her eyes meeting those of her mother, and she smiled up at her. Charlotte shook her head and hoisted Angelica out of the bassinet and cuddled her to her chest. Angelica cuddled into Charlotte's chest and lay in the crook of Charlotte's arm, her tiny face hidden in her mother's hospital gown. Charlotte smiled down at her young daughter and made her way back over to her bed where she laid with Angelica.

* * *

Tommy sat through his last class absent mindedly. He bounced his leg and tapped his pencil on his hand while the teacher handed out forms for the students to fill out. Tommy looked down at all of his forms from the teacher, who was his math teacher Mrs. Cannon. He looked over at her from the corner of his eye: Chestnut brown hair, blue eyes, pearl complexion, about 5'5", around four months pregnant. Against him, she might fair pretty well, pregnant or not, but against him plus Chuckie, Lil, and Phil…She didn't stand a chance. He wanted to leave, to go home and try to convince his mom to cancel the appointment with the therapist…But it was still a thought for the time being. He knew that this was his last class, but he couldn't wait any longer for the day to be over. He anxiously watched the seconds dwindle away on the classroom's wall clock, and sighed as the last few minutes came to his mind. The afternoon announcements came on over the loudspeakers and Tommy quickly turned his iPod on as the voice of the assistant principal came on over the loudspeaker. He silently wished that the person making the announcements would shut up and ring the final bell, but he waited just like all of the other students sitting in the classroom with him. Mrs. Cannon sat at her desk while she listened to the announcements, but Tommy could only sigh because he really didn't like pregnant teachers, probably because of the extra hormones that they always had, he didn't really know. The moment finally came and the final bell rang, and Tommy ran out of the classroom, completely ignoring the calls from his angered teacher. Chuckie, Phil, and Lil all followed Tommy down towards the bus loop of the school and jumped onto their bus. Tommy gave a slight nod to his grandfather as he walked towards the back of the bus. He sat heavily in his seat while his music blasted in his ears, the sounds of 'Wish You Were Here' was playing through the dark, black headphones that hung around his neck and rested in his ears. He leaned back in his seat and watched the clouds that were passing by overhead; his mind drifting off as the song changed from 'Wish You Were Here' to 'Strength of the World'. He silently listened to the song as it played from his headphones, and gently nodded his head in time with the music. A sudden jerk from the bus starting off brought him back to reality, and he sighed sadly as he looked out of the bus' window once again, picturing his lost love in his mind.

* * *

Michelle sat in the front of the theater with Ash and Megan as the movie played and blasted sound effects throughout the small theater room. The sounds made her ears strain to hear the extra sounds coming from the back of the theater, but it was all worth it in the end, since the movie was exceptionally well planned. The trio was soon, once again, playing Dance Dance Revolution in the main lobby of the theater building itself, and Ash was playing 'Baby's Tears' on expert, small beads of sweat glistened on her brow as she concentrated on the moving arrows that scrolled up the screen. Michelle was once again sitting on the machine of the game, the music pulsating in her ears, and the bass rattling the chains on her jeans. In her mind, she was seeing her brother playing the game, since he knew how to play it at a young age, such as herself, and was exceptionally good at the game. But in reality, it was one of her friends, and not her departed twin brother. The last note of the song hit Michelle's ears and she looked over at her exhausted friend, who was now leaning against the balance bar like last time. The sounds of the game's narrator came through the speakers as Michelle swung her legs from the side of the machine once again.

"HA! Another success for me!" Ash said happily as she stood straight on the dance pad.

"Yea, I always seem to bring some magic to your game." Michelle said as she brushed a stray strand of hair from her face.

"Whatever…" Ash said playfully as she hopped off of the dance pad and landed on the tile floor of the theater.

"C'mon, let's get to the hospital now." Megan chimed in as she started to walk towards the door.

"Way ahead of you." Michelle said as she rushed past the two of them, her headphones hanging from her neck.

"Hey! It's my truck we're taking!" Ash yelled as she raced after Michelle with her car keys dangling in her hand.

"Well, you're not leaving me here!" Megan yelled after Ash as she ran along side her.

Michelle jumped into the open backseat window and leaned against the door. Megan climbed into the car next, her head falling against the headrest of the passenger seat; her headphones were playing an inaudible music in her ears. Michelle sighed and leaned back into her seat; her shoulders relaxing into the smooth leather that covered the seats. Ash jumped in and started the engine to the car; the radio was still blasting the music of 'Mindless Self Indulgence' from the few hours ago. Michelle sighed happily as she listened to the lyrics of 'Issues' and nodded her head in time with the beats of the song's bass. They were soon taking off towards the hospital that Charlotte was staying in, and Michelle watched the passing scenery with disinterest as they drove past it.

* * *

Charlotte sat in her hospital bed, Angelica in her arms, and looked out the window once again. Angelica snuggled closer to Charlotte, and Charlotte smiled down at her young daughter. Angelica just snuggled closer to her mother and rested her head in the crook of her mother's arm once again. The sound of the door opening brought Charlotte out of her thoughts and back to reality. She looked at the door and saw Michelle, Megan, and Ash standing there with small smiles and eyes of curiosity. Charlotte smiled and waved them in with her free arm, and the three teens followed the gesture.

Michelle walked in first and sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the small child in her aunt's arm. Ash sat next to her and leaned over to get a better look at the small child. Megan stood back for the time and watched from a distance. Angelica looked at the new faces in the room and started to whimper in Charlotte's arms. Michelle backed up a little, followed by Ash, and the two just watched like Megan was doing. Charlotte repositioned Angelica in her arms and laid her back down against herself. Michelle stiffened slightly when Angelica didn't stop whimpering, and slowly stood up from the bed, her bangs shielding her eyes. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned her head to look at Ash, who had a small smile on her face. Michelle couldn't help but smile back at her best friend and then looked back down at her aunt and cousin. Charlotte had a small smile on her face as well, and Angelica had stopped whimpering. Michelle sighed and traced her finger through Angelica's blonde hair, making the small girl giggle, and then rested her hand at her side once again.

"So…What brings you three here?" Charlotte asked as she looked from Michelle to the others.

"To see you and Angelica…" Michelle said as she ran her hand through her hair.

"Yea, we all agreed on it." Ash said as she shoved her hands in her pockets, fumbling around with her car keys.

"Aww…You three are just the sweetest." Charlotte said with a small laugh, receiving a small groan from the three stoic teens.

"You know that we hate being called sweet, Aunt Charlotte." Michelle said with a pout.

"I guess I do, but it is true." Charlotte replied as she ran her hand through Angelica's hair.

The three teens sighed again as Charlotte laughed playfully at them. Michelle brought her head down and looked at the floor, Ash stared out the window, and Megan looked up at the ceiling. Michelle brought her head back up from its resting position and looked back at her smiling aunt, who was still resting pleasantly on her hospital bed. Michelle searched through the songs on her Zune until she came upon 'That's What You Get' by 'Paramore'. She silently walked back over to her aunt and sat on the edge of the bed once more, her eyes cast down to the floor. She felt her aunt nudge her back with her foot, and she couldn't help but smile at the preteen action, and she looked over at her smiling aunt.

"Well, I think that it might be time to leave…Tommy should be on his way home now." Michelle said as she leaned over to her aunt and cousin, kissing each of them on the forehead.

"But you just got here." Charlotte said as she rose a little higher on the bed.

"I know, but I still need to get home so mom doesn't flip out again." Michelle replied with a small smile.

"Alright," Charlotte said with a sigh, "Tell your mom that I said hi." She said with a small smile.

"Don't worry about that…I will." Michelle said as she rose from the bed and headed towards the door of the room.

Ash and Megan slowly followed Michelle and headed back out to the parking lot, where the three of them loaded into Ash's car and took off towards the nearby McDonalds.

* * *

Tommy jumped off of the bus and walked towards the backyard of the house. He tossed his bag over towards the old oak tree that stood proudly in the yard near the sandbox; several pencils fell out and landed on the ground. He silently sat down on the edge of the sandbox, his feet resting on the grass as he traced his finger through the soft sand of his baby years. Spike prowled out of the kitchen and flopped down next to Tommy on the ground, his head resting on Tommy's old shoes.

"Good to see you too, buddy." Tommy said as he scratched the old dog behind the ear.

Spike wagged his tail happily as he licked Tommy's hand. Tommy smirked as Spike continued to lick his hand, and he slowly stroked the old dog's head once more while he lay back down on Tommy's shoes. He glanced up at the patio door when he heard the sound of shoes clicking against the tile floor of the kitchen and then hitting the cement that adorned the patio, and sure enough his mother was standing there with a small frown on her face. Tommy sighed as he looked at her, and he quickly turned her head back to Spike, who was now sleeping soundly.

"What is it?" He asked angrily as he looked down at his shoes.

"I just wanted to talk to you…" Didi said as she slowly started to walk towards Tommy.

"Then start talking mom." Tommy said as he shot his head up and glared at her. Didi cringed and stood where she was.

"I-I don't k-know if Michelle t-told you…" She started, but Tommy interjected.

"She told me everything!" He yelled with tears falling down his face, his eyes piercing through Didi's soul.

"I-I'm so s-sorry, Tommy…" Didi stuttered out with her own tears falling as she stared upon her middle child.

Tommy couldn't hold his tears in, and finally collapsed down to the ground, his hands covering his face while the salty tears fell upon the ground. Didi stood still where she was, if Tommy needed to be held he would come to her.

* * *

Michelle quickly jumped over the fence of the backyard and looked upon a sobbing Tommy and a silent Didi. Her fists clenched shut as she stared upon the scene of her mother and younger brother, and she quickly ran over to Tommy's side and embraced him in her arms. Tommy fell heavily against her and cried into her shoulder while she caressed his back trying to soothe and calm him back to his normal self. Michelle glared over at Didi, who gasped lightly when she looked into her daughter's eyes, looking at the pain and hurt in those dark eyes. The years had not been kind to Michelle after Michael's death, and being home didn't seem to help in any way at all.

* * *

Charlotte laid the now sleeping Angelica in her bed and then found her way back to her hospital bed in the darkness of the room. The moon provided an ominous glow from the open window, and Charlotte was soon lying back in her bed, the blankets pulled up to her chin as she rested against the pillows that adorned her bed. She closed her eyes and was soon sleeping right along with her infant daughter, and soon the two of them would be going home…For good.


	12. Little Piece of Heaven

While Charlotte slept peacefully in her hospital bed, a silent visitor was watching from the window. The silent visitor slowly slid the window open, their hands gently lifting the heavy window with ease. They silently crawled in through the open window and crawled down to the floor. The person slowly stood up from the floor and looked around the dark room, watching the shadows from the moon. The person took their hood down to reveal a head of bright red, spiky hair. Chuckie glanced around the room once more before walking over towards Angelica's bassinet, where the small infant lay sleeping soundlessly. He silently traced his finger over the blanket that held the small infant, and smiled misty-eyed when the small girl moved around in the blanket before resting into a settled position once more.

* * *

Lil sat silently on her bed in her room, a reprint of the group picture at the concert from almost a month ago was resting in her grip. She stared down at the smiling faces of the entire group, but mostly of Tommy and Kimi. They looked so happy together, and then it was all torn away from them; their past, their present, and their future…All of it was gone. She gripped the picture tighter in her fists, turning her knuckles a ghostly white color. She flopped back down onto the pillows of her bed and let the tears fall freely, but silently, from her eyes. She could hear her door silently start to creak open, and she immediately rolled onto her side and brushed the tears away while pretending to fall asleep early. Her bed sloped slightly with the added weight onto the side that was behind her, and she felt a hand rest on her bicep with a gentle feminine grasp. She knew it was her mom, and she slowly turned over onto her back once more.

"I know you miss her, Lil. But you have to move on with everyone else." Betty said as she smiled down at her daughter.

"I know mom, but it's really hard when you've know the person since you were a baby." Lil said with a distant look in her eyes and a shaky voice.

"I know dear…But you can always talk to me if you need to." Betty said as she embraced Lil in a mother-daughter hug.

Lil greatly returned the hug and sobbed silently into her mother's shoulder. Betty silently rocked her daughter in her arms, providing the teen with some comfort. Phil walked in a few minutes later and looked over at his mom and sister. Betty noticed her teen son and waved him over with her other arm and he slowly dragged himself over to his mother and sister, falling into the hug that had already presented itself. He, too, shed tears of sorrow for the loss of one of his best friends.

* * *

Chuckie stood over Angelica's bassinet and never took his eyes off of the infant blonde. A slight shuffling from Charlotte's bed made him jolt towards the shadows of the room, his breathing was calm and still. Charlotte had only shifted herself into a more comfortable position, and Chuckie sighed quietly in relief. He slowly walked back out of the shadows and back over towards the open window. Taking one last glance at Angelica, he climbed out of the window and ran off from the hospital, leaving his love's younger sister and her mother in the confines of the hospital.

* * *

Michelle lay in her bed that night, but was soon called on her phone by her number one Lycan Chick. She smiled as she knew what the question was that Megan wanted to ask her, but she answered her phone anyway, receiving a loud blast of music from the car that Megan was sitting in.

"Hey Chelle!" Megan said into the phone with a happy voice.

"What's up Meg?" Michelle asked with a smirk on her face.

"Just calling to ask if you wanted to go to that new club with me and Ash." Megan said.

"Sure! I can't wait anymore to go!" Michelle said happily as she grabbed her darkest clothes and make-up.

"Alright, we're on our way now, so get dressed." Megan said just before she hung the phone up.

Michelle tossed her phone onto her bed and ran over to the spot where her clothes had been tossed. She quickly undressed and tossed her clothes on, and then ran into her bathroom to apply her charcoal grey eye shadow, along with her heavy black eye liner, and her black lipstick. She quickly fixed all of her piercings and she put more on, especially earrings. Now that she was fully clothed, she walked back into her bedroom and pulled on her combat boots and threw on a chocker. She looked around her room for anything else that she may need, but when she didn't see anything that she may have needed, she slowly crept out of her room and walked down the hall to the stairway. She looked down to the front door, which was just feet from the bottom of the stairs, and let out a sigh as she heard her parents talking in their room. She swallowed the lump in her throat and started her descent down the stairs, her house key in her hand. Once at the bottom of the stairs she started towards the door, but the sound of her parent's bedroom door opening stopped her; her breath hitched in her throat. She took the first opportunity that she had and dodged the light from her parent's room, jumping into the shadows of the living room. She carefully walked over towards the patio door and slid it open as quietly as possible; practically throwing herself out of the house and shutting the door once more before taking off towards the fence and jumping over into the alleyway. Just as she landed on the ground, her phone went off in her pocket. She sighed as she dug around in her pocket and grasped her phone in her hand, bringing it out, flipping it open, and placing it to her ear.

"Hey Chelle, its Ash." Came Ash's light voice from the other end of the phone.

"What's up?" Michelle asked as she caught her breath again.

"What happened to you? You sound like you just ran a marathon." Ash said with a questioning voice.

"Almost got caught sneaking out and had to run out through the backyard, jumping the fence in the process." Michelle said as she walked down to the end of the alleyway.

"Well, we're waiting down the street for you." Ash said just before she hung up her phone as well.

Michelle sighed and walked down the alley towards the street where Ash and Megan were waiting. She slowly approached the car and jumped into the backseat and leaned back into them.

"Ready to hit the club?" Ash asked as she looked into the rearview mirror.

"You know it, I'm getting hammered tonight!" Michelle laughed as Ash sped off down the street towards the party district of town.

* * *

Tommy rested in his room, mainly finding that his time was spent pulsating music throughout the house from his stereo and Zune. He found it quite amusing, especially when his parents or brother came into the room, but left soon after because it was too loud for them to even hear themselves speaking. He was now sprawled out on his bed; another book on werewolves and vampires was resting in front of him while he read it. There was a knock on his door, and he watched as his grandfather walked into the room, and he quickly took the stereo remote out from under his pillows and paused the song that was blasting from the speakers. He placed the remote next to his book on the bed, and then sat up so he was facing his grandfather instead of lying on his stomach.

"How's it going, Tommy?" Lou asked as he sat down on Tommy's bed.

"It's goin' ok, I guess." Tommy said with a sigh; his eyes fixed themselves on his hands.

"Ok isn't a good enough answer for me…I want it to be great, not good." Lou said as he playfully punched Tommy in the arm.

"Oh, you're gonna get it grandpa." Tommy said as he playfully knocked Lou back.

Lou and Tommy both laughed hysterically as they playfully fought on Tommy's bed. The play fight turned into a sort of pillow fight, and soon they were both lying down on the bed, breathing as if they had both run a marathon. Tommy clutched his black silk pillow close to his chest and smiled a genuine smile as he looked up to a poster of '_Rammstein_' on his ceiling. He rolled over onto his side and snuggled back into his grandfather, who wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders. Tommy soon fell asleep, and Lou soon followed suit.

* * *

Michelle sat in the backseat of the car; the wind that came in through the open window blew through her hair. The flashing strobe lights finally came into view, and Ash quickly pulled into the closest parking lot in the district so that they could start their night off right. Michelle jumped out of the car as soon as Ash parked, and was standing off to the side as Megan and Ash hopped out a moment later.

"Well, come on, we're already late." Michelle said as she started to walk towards the first giant Goth club that came up.

"Yea, I know, you insane club chick." Ash said as she followed after Michelle, with Megan tagging along at her side.

The three of them walked into the pulsating club where techno was blasting non-stop and bodies were packed from wall to wall either dancing or sitting around in the chairs and couches that aligned the walls on the sides of the club. They walked right down to the dance floor where they packed in between bodies and started to dance around in a giant mosh pit.

* * *

Dawn broke through Charlotte's room window, and she slowly opened her eyes when the sun peeked through the curtains on the large window. She sat up and stretched out the stiffness in her arms and legs, moving her neck from side to side to relieve the tension that welled up overnight. She slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood on the tile floor, silently making her way over towards Angelica's bassinet. The small infant was wiggling around in her blankets, but as soon as Charlotte stepped next to the bassinet, Angelica reached towards her mother with anxious eyes. Charlotte smiled down at her daughter and gently lifted her out of the bassinet and cuddled the small child close to her chest. She walked back to the bed and sat down, looking out the window into the clear blue sky up above. She felt the cool breeze come from the window and sighed happily.

"Wait. Cool breeze? I could have sworn that the window was closed last night." Charlotte said as she stood up from the bed and walked over to the slightly open window.

She stared at it and then looked around the room with fear in her obsidian eyes. She glanced around the room franticly before she realized that there was no one there. She sighed out the breath that she was holding in and sat back down on the bed; her arms shaking slightly from the scare of someone being there with her and her defenseless daughter. She shuddered at the thought of anything harming her little angel. A small movement in her arms brought her back to reality, and she brought her eyes down to those of her baby girl. She smiled down at Angelica, and all of her fears and doubts from a moment ago disappeared into nothing. Angelica yawned and snuggled further into Charlotte's arms, resting her head on her mother's bosom and letting out another yawn. Charlotte smiled down at her dozing daughter, and slowly stood up from the bed once more, swiftly walking over towards the bassinet, and laying Angelica on the small bed inside, covering her with the baby blanket as she slowly drifted off to sleep. Charlotte watched Angelica's eyes close, and then she walked over to her bed and sat down once more. She picked up the phone and called Drew to remind him to pick her up from the hospital this afternoon.

* * *

Michelle woke up with a start as the light slipped through Ash's curtains that hung loosely over the window. She rubbed her eyes and ran her hands through her hair before letting out a stifled yawn. She looked around and saw Ash lying on the bed, and Megan lying on the floor near the closet. Michelle was lying over by the computer desk with a sheet covering her.

'Ash must have driven us here last night.' She thought as she slowly stood up from the floor and stretched the stiffness from her lower back.

She walked out of the bedroom and out into the kitchen to grab one of the sodas out of the fridge, and then grabbed a pack of pop-tarts from the pantry before walking back into Ash's room. She sat down on the floor and quickly opened the Pepsi in her hands, setting it down on the nightstand that sat next to the computer desk, and then she opened the pop-tarts and broke off small pieces that she started to eat while sitting in the dimness of the bedroom.

* * *

Tommy slowly opened one eye, as the light shone through his bedroom window, and groaned as he buried his face into the pillow he was still holding in his arms. A shift on the bed next to him alerted him of his grandfather's presence, and he brought the pillow down from his face and peered over his shoulder at the sleeping elder next to him. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, and stood up from the bed, his hair falling over his face. He brushed his hair back and grabbed his clothes for the day as he walked around his room. He picked up the outfit that he tossed onto his bed and walked into the bathroom to change for the day. He walked back out about ten minutes later and ruffled his hair out, glancing over to the bed to see that Lou was still sleeping peacefully on the black comforter that covered the red silk sheets below. Tommy smiled as he walked past his sleeping grandfather and out the bedroom door, shutting it silently behind him.

* * *

Charlotte sat on her hospital bed, now fully dressed in a purple v-neck t-shirt and a pair of faded blue denim jeans. She had on a pair of black strapped heels to finish off her outfit. She was cradling Angelica against her chest as she waited for one of the nurses to come in and bring her outside when Drew arrived to pick her up. Angelica was sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms, while contently sucking on her thumb. Charlotte smiled down at her infant daughter, and gently traced a finger over the small girl's head. After gliding her finger over Angelica's head, and nurse poked her head in the door and looked over at Charlotte.

"Mrs. Pickles, your husband is here for you." She said as she walked into the room with a wheel chair.

"Wow, he sure was quick on getting here. I could have sworn that he would have been late." Charlotte replied as she stood up from the bed and sat back down in the wheel chair.

The nurse pushed the wheel chair out of the hospital room and headed towards the exit in the lobby. A black Dodge Avenger was parked outside of the door, and Charlotte could clearly see Drew sitting in the driver's seat. She smiled as he stepped out of the car and walked around to help her get Angelica situated in her car seat. As soon as Angelica was situated in her car seat, Drew helped Charlotte into the passenger seat of the car. He quickly walked back over to the driver's side and hopped in. As soon as the engine roared to life, he took off down the street towards their house.

* * *

Tommy sat silently at the kitchen table; music pulsating in his ears as he ate his breakfast in the dullness of the early morning. He flipped through the songs before he found one of his favorites: "_All Black_" by Good Charlotte. He quickly finished his breakfast without another word, and discarded his dishes to the sink as he walked out to the backyard. He silently walked across the grass towards the giant oak tree that stood proudly in his back yard, and he sat on the ground between two of the roots that poked out from the dirt. He leaned back against the tree and looked up to the bright blue sky above him. The leaves of the tree sheltered him in shadows from the sun, and he exhaled a breath slowly. It was fairly early in the morning, he knew that, but he couldn't help but feel that he was connected to both Kimi and Angelica, as if he was sitting with them under the tree again like they used to do a few years ago. He closed his eyes and saw them in his mind; his own little piece of Heaven was with his cousin and girlfriend.


	13. Until the End of Time Dear Brother

**A/N: Ok, so this is the 13th and final chapter of TtFaF. It got some good feedback, but I have longer stories, and new ideas, that I really want to get my mind onto now. And who knows? I may even make a sequal to this story through either Tommy's eyes, or little Angelica's eyes from the ending of this story forwards. If you have any ideas for a sequal to this story, please send me a PM; I'll be glad to go through and pick out bits and pieces of any inspiration that I can get. And I'd like to thank all of you for reading and reviewing.**

**~MarchingPatriot93**

* * *

Michelle booted up her laptop, which she constantly left at Ash's house, and quickly went through her e-mails; one being from her insanely awesome teacher Angela Mitchell. It was the only message that stood out among the group, but she intended to save it for last. She quickly made her way though all of the other e-mails and opened Mrs. Mitchell's letter.

_Michelle;_

_I thought I had seen you on the road last night with your friends heading towards that new club downtown. Was it you? Because if it was, you looked extremely different than what you usually do at school, but I guess that that's school policy to not wear all of those piercings. But, anyways, I'll see you in choir on Monday, so I expect you to at least practice a little bit; even if you don't need to practice as much as some of the other girls. You are one of my top students!_

_~Mrs. Mitchell_

'Hehe, of course she would write something like that.' Michelle thought as she started to reply to the e-mail.

_Mrs. Mitchell;_

_I had a good idea that you would write that; you care way too much about me. And, yes, that was me in that nice little Dodge that was heading towards downtown with Megan and Ash; also a few of your top students. We just thought that it would be fun to sing along to pulse beating techno music all night, in fact, we were doing just that. I swear, some of the music is hard to sing to at times, but when you listen to it all the time, it kind of resonates in the back of your mind until you actually need to use that one special gift called singing! I do have to admit, you are the coolest choir teacher that I've had in a loooong time… It's just not me to be so open about emotions all the time. The only time that I ever show emotion, at all, is my twin brother's birthday or the anniversary of his death. Other than those two times, never do I show emotions._

_Anyways, don't mind my little angst world, it's not much of anyone's concern, so you don't have to worry._

_~Michelle_

Michelle quickly hit the send button and then closed the lid of her laptop and continued her earlier task of looking out the window at the early morning sunrise. The soft hues of pink and purple made Michelle think of another moment in her past that she was so desperately trying to forget and bury with her brother.

_"Michelle, wait up!" Michael called as he ran after Michelle in the very early hours of the morning._

_"C'mon, it's not that far away now! We're almost there!" Michelle called over her shoulder as she continued to run towards the distance._

_"Hopefully it's not much farther!" Michael called again as he continued to follow his sister._

_The twins ran up to a cliff edge, where Michelle promptly sat down on the edge, swinging her legs over the ledge. Michael joined her moments later and sat next to her on the edge; he looked over to her from the corner of his eye and saw that she was smiling… And not just one of her fake smiles to get mom and dad off of her tail, but a true, genuine smile that came with her real happiness._

_"Hey 'Chelle, how come you brought me up here?" He asked as she looked over to him with a smile._

_"Because, I wanted to show you something really cool that I know you'll love." She had replied happily as she turned her head back towards the horizon._

_Michael turned his head back as well and stared out over the water that was lapping against the shore of the lake. He stared down at his reflection and knocked a small pebble down with a sudden movement of his hand. He silently watched the once still water ripple at the touch of the pebble that he had knocked down with his hand._

_"Michael! Look!" Michelle said as she pointed towards the horizon._

_Michael lifted his head from the water and looked up towards the horizon. The sky was tainted with a soft purple and pink glow as the sun was slowly rising in the early morning sky before them. It was beautiful, and it grew more so when the light yellow hue set in with the pink and purple. Michael smiled to himself as he watched the sunrise; he really did let Michelle know too much about him, he'd always loved to watch the sunrise in the morning from his bedroom window, but this was a lot better than that ever was. The twins laced hands together and continued to watch the sunrise with smiles on their faces; neither one of them wanting this moment to end._

Michelle had buried her head in her hands, covering her eyes as tears slipped down past her cheeks. Her brother had never done anything to anybody his entire life! And those damned 3rd Street Dragons just couldn't see that from an innocent bystander. They only attacked him because Michelle wouldn't date the younger brother of the three that killed Michael. She killed them, all of them, but her pain was still unsettled and her violence towards other people was starting to surface in the way that she acted towards her friends and family. The only person who had truly felt her anger was her mother, and that was for reasons that were complete bullshit in Michelle's eyes. She slowly stood up from the chair and made her way to the front door to leave; her eyes facing towards her house the entire walk back towards it.

It was still fairly early when she got home, 5:30 .a.m to be exact, and not a soul was awake in the entire house; except for Spike, who was bounding down the stairs towards her at that moment. The old dog stopped at her feet and sniffed her pant leg, and then nuzzling his head into her hand that hung loosely at her side. Michelle pat Spike's head once before making her way up the stairs to her room at the end of the hallway. She walked in and quietly closed her door behind her, leaning up against it and letting out a deep sigh. Her past, her present, and her future, were all buried with Michael; there was no denying it at all. She walked into her bathroom and looked into the mirror over her sink. Her eyes were heavy from lack of sleep, they were bloodshot from crying, her skin had lost the glow that it had once had from happier times; she looked almost completely different than she had just a few months ago. Her cheekbones were more prominent from lack of proper nutrition, and she was almost half her normal size from not eating adequate meals daily. She sighed at her mirrored image and opened the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bottle of painkillers.

"Take a maximum of two each day… Bullshit." Michelle said as she read the instructions on the bottles label.

She quickly unscrewed the bottle cap and poured out four pills into her hand. She stared at the small white pills in her hand, and then spoke quietly to herself.

"If two terminates pain, then four should put me to sleep for a little while." She said as she popped the pills into her mouth, swallowed, and then drank some water to remove the bile from the back of her throat.

After not feeling any affects from the medication for a few minutes, she walked out into her bedroom and laid down on her bed; closing her eyes to sleep. A full 30 minutes had gone by, and she was now just starting to feel the work of the medication kicking in by calming her nerves first. Then it started to calm her tense muscles and stiff joints. She lazily looked up at the ceiling before the darkness that comes with sleep overtook her, and then her conscious receded into a black abyss.

* * *

Tommy walked up the stairs towards his room after school and stopped at the top of the stairs. He could hear the song _'Mordred's Lullaby'_ playing in Michelle's room, but there was no Michelle singing along to it. He had always know that Michelle would always sing along to her music if it was on, even in public if she really liked the song, but because she wasn't singing right now, he knew that something was wrong. He walked up to her bedroom door and the stopped when his hand was right on the handle. He didn't even bother to turn the doorknob when he heard the soft sound of breathing over the pulsating music that was banging off of the walls in the background. He sighed gratefully to himself, knowing that it could have been several times worse than it was. He turned around on his heel and walked back down towards his room, opening and shutting the door behind him in one quick, silent movement. He walked over towards his bed, plopped down on it and took a nap.

* * *

Michelle awoke several hours later to the smell of chicken wafting up to her bedroom. She only stared at the wall of her room, not even caring about the food that was downstairs, more than likely bought from KFC. She loved KFC, especially when Michael was still alive, but she didn't mind taking a bite of classic fried chicken every now and then with her band buddies.

Michelle looked out of her bedroom window, still a little bit drowsy from the medication, and stared at the falling rain that was pounding against the glass. Lightning flashed in the background against the gray clouds, and Michelle thought about the time that she was stuck in a thunderstorm the day that Michael was murdered. She quickly brought her knees up to her chest and buried her head in them. Her tears stung her eyes as she tried desperately to blink them away, but that was no help as it only brought more to her eyes. She jumped off of her bed and ran into her bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind her. She breathed heavily, tears still blurring her vision, as she fumbled around in her sink drawers for the one item that she desperately needed right now. She finally found the object and brought it out into the bathroom light; a new, sharp razor. She clutched the cool metal in her hand as she walked over and sat on the edge of her tub, staring down at the porcelain skin of her delicate wrists.

She slowly brought the metal down to her skin, teasing it at first, and then dragging the sharp edge across it, leaving a small slit where blood slowly trickled down to her bent elbow. This first cut wasn't enough, of course, so she brought the blade across it again on another part of her wrist and left a deeper gash, which produced more blood for her to look at as she stared at her bloodied arm. The pain was nothing; all she could feel was numbness from her emotions being held in for far too long. She felt in control, she was dominant in this approach of her life, and it was time that she finally took control of herself. She pulled the razor across her wrist once more and then discarded the bloody object to the sink before wrapping her damaged wrist with a few strips of gauze.

She walked out of the bathroom and back into her room, it was time that she finally saw her dear brother once again; in another life maybe, but she knew that it wasn't this life. She reached into her closet and pulled out a rope, hiding it in a small bag that she was going to take with her to the cemetery where Michael was buried.

"This time, we'll never be separated again… Dear Michael." She said to herself as she carefully tucked the rope in her bag.

She bounded down the stairs, jumping off of the last three and racing out the door, past her parents, aunt, uncle, cousin, brother, and neighbors as she dashed down the street towards the cemetery. She knew that she could always outrace anyone in her family on foot, so she wasn't the least bit concerned about anyone running after her.

She reached the rusty gates of the cemetery, and gently pushed the metal gates apart while focusing on making her way over to the large oak tree that stood over Michael's grave. She reached the large tree and placed her hand on the side, gazing up to a high enough branch where she could finally be with her brother again. She quickly climbed up to the branch, tied the rope into a noose, and then sat on the branch for a few minutes more, taking in the last of the scenery that she would see from this life, until her parent's car started to pull up towards the cemetery. She quickly wrapped the noose around her neck and stood up on the branch, looking out at her family, who were now standing at the edge of the cemetery; watching her. This would be the final chapter in her story filled with trials and pain, and then ending in a quick, sweet, and painless decision.

* * *

"Michelle, what in the world are you doing?" Charlotte asked as she watched her niece stand on the tree branch with a rope around her neck.

She attempted to walk forward, Angelica, now two years old, in her arms. Drew held her back though, not letting her go another step towards the tree that held Michelle in it. Charlotte looked over her shoulder at her husband, and he looked at her with sad, distant eyes before turning his head back towards Michelle. Charlotte turned her head back towards the tree and continued to watch Michelle's daring act for her own version of peace. Stu started to walk towards Michelle, but she took a small step towards the edge of the tree branch that she was standing on, and that's when he stopped.

"Come on Michelle, I know that you aren't serious about this whole ordeal." Stu said as he looked up to his eldest daughter.

"You know that I'm just as serious about this as you once were about making toys." Michelle said as she looked down at her father with a burning hatred in her eyes.

Stu was furious, and took a charging leap at his daughter, who then jumped out of the tree with the noose wrapped around her neck.

"NO!!!! Michelle!!!!" Charlotte screamed as she covered her daughter's eyes from seeing her cousin dangling from the tree branch; no longer full of the life that she had always had.

* * *

"So… This is how it ended…" Michelle thought as she looked into the darkness of her once conscious mind.

She then thought of the lyrics to the song _'Mordred's Lullaby'_, which was still fairly fresh in her mind:

_Hush child, the darkness will rise from the deep  
And carry you down into sleep,  
Child, the darkness will rise from the deep  
And carry you down into sleep._

_Guileless son, I'll shape your belief,  
And you'll always know that your father's a thief,  
And you won't understand the cause of your grief,  
But you'll always follow the voices beneath._

_Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty,  
Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, only to me._

Guileless son, your spirit will hate her,  
The flower who married my brother the traitor,  
And you will expose his puppeteer behavior,  
For you are the proof of how he betrayed her loyalty.

Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty,  
Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, only to me.

Hush child, the darkness will rise from the deep  
And carry you down into sleep,  
Child, the darkness will rise from the deep  
And carry you down into sleep.

Guileless son, each day you grow older,  
Each moment I'm watching my vengeance unfold,  
For the child of my body, the flesh of my soul,  
Will die in returning the birthright he stole.

Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, loyalty,  
Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty, only to me.

Hush child, the darkness will rise from the deep  
And carry you down into sleep,  
Child, the darkness will rise from the deep  
And carry you down into sleep.

"I don't know what it is about that song, but now that I think about it, it really makes me wonder why I hadn't gone to my brother sooner than this." Michelle thought again as she felt a severing pain in her neck.

The pain came out extremely strong, but it quickly disappeared and never returned; just like she hoped would happen. That was the only way that she could be certain that she was… Gone from this time. The world fizzed out of her thoughts, and Michelle slowly felt herself disappearing away from the timeline.

* * *

Didi was holding Michelle close to her as she rocked the lifeless body back and forth in her arms; tears and bone chilling cries were echoing from all around the cemetery as the members gathered let all of their pain known to everyone nearby and all around. Charlotte had to turn away from the sight of her niece as she held her own daughter close to her; shielding the young child from the sight that was before her. Her tears ran down her cheeks as she continued to think about what had happened just moments ago when Michelle jumped off of the tree branch with a noose tied around her throat. The sickening crack was the only sound that seemed to echo throughout the cemetery, and then there was complete silence.

The look of determination was still on Michelle's cold face as she lay in her mother's arms; lifeless and gone from time. She was dead, and there was nothing that could change that… Ever again.

* * *

Michelle's squinted her eyes to the bright light that shone on them, and then slowly began to open them to a bright field with smooth grass beneath her. She clenched her fists around the grass to see if it was truly there, and then she slowly sat up and faced the sun. Her eyes strained to see the figure that was walking toward her, but that familiar gait that the person was using could never pass her without it being noticed.

"Michael!! I'm so glad to finally see you again!" She yelled happily as she jumped to her feet and ran towards her brother.

The light from the sun beat down on her as she ran towards her brother in the meadow that they were trapped in for all eternity. Soft music was playing in the background of her reunion with her long dead brother, and she never once thought about her past life or her past family. All she could see was Michael, and that was all that she needed to see. She was finally able to reach him, and when she did, she jumped into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

* * *

Michael returned his sister's loving embrace. It had been so many years since he had felt so safe, that he'd almost forgotten what it was like to be hugged by her; and now she was once again before him in the flesh. And he would never be separated from her ever again. The time spent apart had changed them both for the better. Michelle no longer had the fear factor that she had when she was younger, her hair was a jet-black color with red and blue highlights, and her sense of clothing style had changed. Michael's hair had grown out a little, it was dark brown with blond highlights, and his sense of clothing had become the same as Michelle's.

"Michael, I promise that we'll never be separated again." Michelle said as she nuzzled her head into the crook of Michael's neck.

"Never again, for the rest of time, Michelle." Michael replied as he hugged Michelle tighter in his arms.

The sun was setting on the meadow, and the twins collapsed onto the ground and fell into an eternal sleep…


End file.
